


Maybe, Probably

by cheechyaki



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol, Drugs, F/M, bleeding but only like a lil bit in one chapter, cursing, like a lot of cursing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:20:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 39,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26516611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheechyaki/pseuds/cheechyaki
Summary: Skye isn't thrilled to be moving to the valley, but her dedication to her grandfather pulled her into the farmer life.She initially falls for the jock who always knows what to say, but when things go wrong, a certain blonde, self-proclaimed rockstar is there to catch her.
Relationships: Alex/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Sam/Female Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 31
Kudos: 47





	1. my lil farmer

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!! I haven't written fanfic in so long but I was inspired by my two roommates writing fanfic in the same room as me. They're working on Draco and Zuko fanfics but I knew I had to do something for our favorite blonde himbo Sam. This is just the prologue, but I hope you enjoy!!
> 
> I'm also not sure how to change this from a completed work to a WIP but I promise there's more.

I couldn’t take it anymore. All I could hear were the ticks of the clock, the beeps of the machines, light coughing or sniffling every few minutes because just being at JojaCorp was a disease. My eyes held dark circles beneath them, and my hair couldn’t seem to unfrizz. It wasn’t a horrible paying job, that wasn’t the problem at all. It kept my rent paid and gave me food to eat. But being inside these gray walls day after day were slowly starting to kill me. 

I haven’t even been here for 3 hours and I was already starting to feel myself break down. If I had to do this mindless work any longer I think I’d scream. Unfortunately, that was probably the most exciting thing you could experience here.  
What would my grandfather say? He was an amazing man. He wasn’t rich, but he was so happy. He owned a farm in Pelican Town where even on rainy days seemed like the best day on Earth. He glowed with happiness, even on his final days. He had written me a letter telling me that when I feel crushed by the burden of modern life, his words would be there when I needed it most.  
I sighed and looked at the cold, gray drawer attached to my cold, gray desk. What if it’s just more words of wisdom? It might make me feel better, but I don’t think happiness can last long here. I felt that I owed my grandfather his time, so I quietly opened the drawer, letting a few creaks out but not enough to let anyone know I was slacking off. The purple seal on the letter was a refreshing change after seeing black and white for the last five years. I carefully opened the seal, making sure not to damage the wax with a “PT” engraved for the town he lived in. When I began to read, I felt emotion like never before. 

“Dear Skye, 

If you’re reading this, you must be in dire need of a change. The same thing happened to me, long ago. I’d lost sight of what mattered most in life… real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong…”

His letter went on to explain that I have received the deed to his farm. I thought he was insane. How much money could I possibly make selling crops? I didn’t think I could just throw away everything I’ve had here. Despite working for JojaCorp, I had made a few friends in my small apartment complex. Would they understand? I would have to start over and meet new people. Zuzu city isn’t exactly the closest to the valley… I couldn’t possibly move there. I’ve had this job for years and it pays well. I can afford rent and food. I have a few friends. I have to stay here. 

I looked around my office space and pretended to like it. I could work here forever, I lied to myself. I realized it was almost time for my break, so I closed out of the work window I had up and felt my heart stop when I saw my desktop background. I had thousands of pictures on a slideshow to feel something, anything, while I sat at my desk. It just so happened to be a picture of me and my grandfather on Moonlight Farm. We sat in his field of sunflowers, the sun beams had given us rosy cheeks and we were both smiling. I could even see his favorite cow, Betsy, in the background eating the healthy, green grass. I let out a loud sob I quickly tried to hide by burying my head in my hands. My eyes were closed but I could still see his smiling face, his cheeks raised so high you couldn’t even see his eyes but anyone could tell they were the happiest eyes they’ve ever met. His tattered farmer’s hat hung low on his head, and a smaller, newer hat sat on mine. “I wanna look just like you!” I had said to him a month before, when I visited for the annual flower dance. “I’d be honored darlin’. Anything for my lil farmer!” he had replied with such happiness and sincerity.  
I felt the tears start to soak through my beige cardigan. I looked up, hoping to see if the picture was still there but it was gone. I steadied my breathing, hoping I wasn’t loud enough for the coworkers in the cubicles near me to hear. I let out a shaky breath, and looked at the letter one more time. 

“This was my most precious gift of all, and now it’s yours. I know you’ll honor the family name my dear. Good luck.”

“Good luck,” I muttered. I read the line a hundred times over in my head before I turned my computer off and grabbed my purse. I walked out of my cubicle and didn’t look back, except to flip my middle finger to the security camera at the front door. I’m really doing this. I don’t think I have any other choice.


	2. introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye's tired. Like real tired. But she knows she has to start greeting people in the valley on her first day.

The bus was filled to the brim when I got on at the station in Zuzu City, but I was the only one left by the time we had reached Stardew Valley. Dark looming buildings turned to beautiful green hills. My head knocked against the rumbling window, but exhaustion had dawned on me as soon as I got on the bus so I didn’t really mind. Packing all of my things in one night was a lot harder to do than I originally anticipated, and just thinking of how early the bus to Pelican Town was made me want to cry. Now that I’ve seen the life in nature around me, I didn’t mind being tired. When the bus stops I’ll just make a run for the farm and sleep until tomorrow.

The universe had other plans for me.

“Last stop! Pelican Town!” the driver’s gruffy voice yelled as if I wasn’t the only one here. I gathered my belongings and thanked the bus driver. “Good luck out there.”  
It caught me off guard, and slightly jarred me. What did he mean by that? Get out of your head Skye, nothing can be worse than Joja.

My original plan of taking a nap had vanished when I saw a head of brilliant red hair no more than five feet away from me. She smiled as soon as I locked eyes with her, and I felt bad when my initial thought was "oh no".

“Hey! You must be Skye,” she beamed, coming in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around my stiff frame that I couldn’t return properly because of the luggage I had in both of my hands.

“Yeah, I am. It’s nice to meet you…”

“I’m Robin, the local carpenter,” She stepped back and took me in for a brief moment. I knew it was foolish of me to feel bad for not knowing who she was when she already knows me, but I couldn’t help it. “Mayor Lewis sent me here to fetch you and show you the way to your new home. He’s there right now tidying things up for your arrival,” she said gleefully.

Were all of the people this nice in the Valley? This was definitely a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively. The people I worked with at Joja would rarely even hold the door open for someone else, let alone set up a house for one another. Except this wasn't just a person setting up my home, this was the _Mayor_. Even landlords in my apartment complex weren't this kind, though I suppose that's what you get for living in the city. If there was a roach infestation, we were told to just "deal with it". 

“That’s so sweet of him,” I responded, deciding to go for a nicer approach. Robin began to make her way down the road, so I trailed behind her. It wasn't easy keeping up with the cheery redhead when I had to lug my entire life on unstable wheels and a bumpy dirt road.

“He’s a sweet old guy. Lewis has been doing this job for years. I don’t think anyone’s ever run against him!” she joked. I offered a small, wheezy laugh, hoping she'd offer to carry some of my luggage, but it seemed like she was running on auto-pilot. “The farm’s right over here, just follow me!”

It didn’t take long for us to reach the farm at all. If Robin and Lewis weren’t helping me out I think I’d have already been asleep on a sheet-less mattress. Unfortunately for me, just looking at the farm made me want to pass out. There wasn’t a spot of free dirt, instead trees and boulders covered the land with weeds overpowering what twigs and rocks weren’t. “It’s a little overgrown, but there’s some good soil under all that mess!” Robin had teased when my jaw dropped upon our arrival. 

I eventually settled into my room and went with my original plan of calling it a night. Lewis seemed like a nice man; I understood why my grandfather spoke so highly of him in his letter to me. He had told me that everyone was excited to meet me and that I should get some rest so I could introduce myself tomorrow. I took his offer and dismissed myself so I could finally get some rest.

~

I woke up to the sound of a rooster. I don’t even _own_ a rooster. My dried contacts that I neglected to take out the night before stung my eyes as I reached for my phone to check the time. 6:00 am. Only an hour earlier than my usual wake up time. 

Once I was dressed, fixed myself some breakfast, and watched an episode of a cooking show, I left the farm house. The sight before me made me groan. It’s not like the mess would have gone away in one night. Lewis left me some of my grandfather's old things: various tools, a watering can, and a scythe. I’ll get to it eventually I thought to myself, still feeling the exhaustion from the previous day’s excursion.

A list of things to do I made the night before stuck out of my back pocket. The very first thing on the list was to speak to a man named Pierre who owned the local shop. The pace I was walking at subconsciously slowed as I took in my surroundings in awe. It was so refreshing compared to JojaCorp. It boosted my mood and gave me a newfound energy. It was actually enough to make me smile. I never realized what some nature could do for the soul. I laughed to myself at the iron of my situation. Just two days ago I was convincing myself I could work for Joja forever. 

No one was around this early in the morning except for an older man who seemed like it was his mission to get to where he was going. His hood was up, his hands were in his pockets, and his head was down. Was it the smartest idea to stop and introduce myself? No. But I was feeling more alive than I had in years, so I took the chance.

“Excuse me?” I politely asked, tapping the man on the shoulder. He didn’t seem startled when he barely turned to look at me, as if he had seen me but purposefully ignored me. Yeah that's definitely what he did. I took a shaky breath but held onto most of my dignity. “My name’s Skye, I’m the new farmer and wanted to introduce myself,” I smiled and stuck my hand out for him to shake. He stared at my hand for a long moment before he spoke.

“I don’t know you. Why are you talking to me?” he muttered, still not meeting my eyes. And there it was. I felt all of the energy I built up drain. I felt my shoulders slump and my face fall, and he must have noticed it because before I got to apologize he walked away at a faster pace than he was at before. I stood there with my arm outstretched for a few seconds before letting it fall to my side, limp. Well that couldn't have been worse. I took a deep breath and glanced around. Pierre’s store was to my left, so I walked in before I could think about my first interaction of the day any longer. The man who I assumed to be Pierre sat behind the counter, idly looking at his stock until he heard the bell ring upon my entrance. He looked at me with curious eyes and then gave me a knowing smile.

“I’m guessing you just met Shane! Angsty little guy, but he’s harmless.” He waved his hand at me and stood up with a quick clear of his throat after seeing my mood hardly shift. “Pardon me. I’m Pierre, the owner of this general store. If you’re looking for seeds, my shop is the place to go,” he said with a warm smile. It sounded like it was something he had lightly rehearsed and was finally able to say it to someone new. It made me grin back.

“My nam'e Skye, it's nice to meet you! I’d love to buy a few parsnip seeds,” I replied, pulling out the sack of gold Lewis gave me to start off my journey. He gave me 500 total, and making money seemed easy enough. Luckily I had enough in my savings to get me started, about 3,000 gold. There were tasks to do outside of Pierre’s that could get me a few extra pieces and if I grew nice crops, and I know I could have a steady income soon enough. I’d just have to be careful with my money.

We exchanged 15 parsnip seeds for 300 gold, a bit expensive but I knew I had to spend money to make money. He playfully looked side to side and then motioned for me to move closer, like he was about to share a secret.

“I know things here can be a bit expensive,” he started, his voice hushed, “but I’m not the only store in town. I will buy your produce for a good price though,” he reasoned, a twinkle in his eye. I exhaled through my nose with a grin on my face.

"What's the other store in town?"  
  
I regretted asking it as soon as Pierre took a frustrated breath of air. 

"JojaMart. It's on the other side of town, across the river." 

Ah, Joja. It just had to follow me everywhere. This day was not looking as bright as it once did. 

"You don't have to worry about me _ever_ going there. I'll be loyal to you 'til the very end."

The owner's posture became a lot less rigid at my promise. Then, a puzzled look formed on his face. 

"You came here from Zuzu right?"

"Yes I did."

"Can I assume you worked for them?"

"Yes you can," I laughed. He chuckled in relief with a knowing smile. 

"Anyone who works there hates it. Just ask Sam, you'll get around to meeting him eventually. I'd tell you to ask Shane, but the boy hates pretty much everything except for Marnie and his goddaughter."

I made a mental note to meet this _Sam._

“Thanks so much Pierre. I’ll see you when these parsnips are grown!” I assured him, bidding him farewell.

“Come back soon!”

~

With my pouch of parsnip seeds in my bag, I decided to walk further into town until I reached a small, sky blue house. I had to stop myself from widening my eyes at the young man who stood outside, playing with a gridball.

I haven’t had a great track record with men. They usually grow bored with me, opting to go out with their friends and do key bumps in the sweaty bathroom of an underground club. To be fair, the men in Zuzu city aren’t exactly model citizens. Each and every one of them are there to chase a dream of being an influencer, somebody important to the world. A girl who worked for JojaCorp wasn’t great for their image. But here I was, ready to risk it all for the boy with warm, brown, messy hair.

He seemed to have noticed me staring, because after he caught his gridball from the air he stared me down. He smirked and tossed his hair to the side, letting the gridball drop to the healthy grass below him.

“Whatcha starin’ at farmer?” he teased, placing his hands on his strong hips. I stuttered, and glanced around to look at anything but him as my cheeks burned under his hooded eyes. Sticking my hand out seemed like the easiest thing to do. Smooth, Skye. Again, not a great track record with men. 

“I’m the new farmer, Skye Beal. Sorry, I was just admiring the old oak tree you have behind you,” I lied, but plastered a smile on my face nonetheless. Working in customer service teaches you how to do it effortlessly every time. It broke him a little, one hand falling from his hip as he turned to see the tree I motioned to. It’s not like I completely lied. It was a lovely tree with large, smooth roots. Not even the worst storm could bring it up. When he turned to face me again, he had a crooked smile. His thick eyebrows hooked up in an apologetic way, and his honest, yet penetrating green eyes told me he was sincere.

“Oh, yeah. My grandpa planted that when he moved here. Before I was born,” he commented, pointing to himself with a smile. I rolled my eyes, but had to laugh. He seemed like he was trying so hard to be full of himself. I certainly wasn’t denying he had an ego, because that would just be another lie, but he was too apologetic to be completely narcissistic. He cleared his throat, his past demeanor exchanging places with a more friendly one. “I’m Alex, I think we’re going to get along great,” he grinned a smile with perfectly white teeth framing his sun kissed face. I couldn’t help but offer a shy smile in return.

“I couldn’t agree more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooOOooo she's met alex.


	3. scrapes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Skye meets sam :^)

I walked away from my encounter with Alex with fiery cheeks. He’s handsome and he _knows_ it, but there’s something else I liked about him. He didn’t seem like an asshole. He extended an invitation to me so I can try some of his grandmother’s cookies on Wednesday, and of course I had to say yes. I was only upset because it wasn’t sooner. I couldn’t help but crush on him, even though I knew close to nothing about him. I hadn't been in a romantic relationship in so long that my internal clock was screaming at me to partner up with someone. It also doesn't help how beautiful the valley is. It's out of a Hallmark movie. Big city girl meets small town boy.

I walked down the road back towards the farm, a different route than last time. I was lost in a daydream about him. The thin sheen of sweat from being in the sun. His toned arms catching his gridball after he had thrown it up at the sky. His soft-

“WATCHOUT-”

My foot landed on a skateboard, and I kicked it out from under me and fell.

Pain. Up and down my body. I fell on my back, my bare elbows skidded against the hot, rough concrete. I couldn’t do anything except lay there, letting the sun beat down on me. It hadn't felt like I broke anything, but the wind was knocked right out of me. If anything, I was more embarrassed that I was daydreaming about Alex instead of falling in front of a stranger. I heard the board stop rolling and thud against a nearby tree, and took that as a moment to open my eyes.

A tall boy, around my age, stared at me with his mouth hung open. He wasn’t sure what to do.

“...is she dead?” a voice whispered from behind him.

“No..no Vince she’s alive,” he hesitated, mouth now closed but his expressive green eyes holding concern. He suddenly bent down a bit, as if he just remembered how to act in a situation like this, and reached his hand out towards me. I looked up at him through squinted eyes, the sun blocking my vision until he moved his head in front of it. Or to put it more literally, his hair. His wild, long blonde hair, spiked up with gel. Not exactly like a hardcore punk, but enough to tell me about what he’s into. His dark, bushy, straight eyebrows pushed into the center of his face, a hopeful demand that I would take his hand. His stiff lips were curled down at the ends, wondering just how bad the damage was.

I didn’t meet his eyes as I took his offer and he hoisted me on my feet.

“Thanks,” I muttered sarcastically, finally meeting his eyes. He was a whole head taller than me, so I was forced to look up to him. He stammered as he ran his hands through his hair, not knowing what to say.

“Are you okay, miss?” the small voice behind the taller boy appeared again, but this time I was able to put a face to it when he popped his head out behind the skater’s legs. He came up to the blonde boy’s hips and stared at me with round brown eyes. I couldn’t help but softly smile.

“Yes, I’m okay little guy. You can call me Skye,” I beamed. That’s when he fully stepped out to stand next to what I’m assuming was his brother.

“My name’s Vincent. Momma tells me not to talk to strangers… but you seem okay!” he giggled.

“Well it’s very nice to meet you Vincent,” I responded. I turned my attention back to the man who knocked me over. He blinked a few times before shaking his head to untangle his thoughts.

“My name’s Sam. I’m sorry that this is the way we met,” he said bashfully with a soft smile.

So _that_ was Sam. The other Joja employee. He even made it obvious for me as he adjusted his tattered Joja jacket. 

“Probably would’ve been better if I wasn’t bleeding,” I joked. But it wasn’t a joke. I stretched my arms out in front of me to see my bleeding elbows. The color in Sam’s face drained. Even though I was the one who was hurt, he seemed to be taking it worse than me.

“Oh sh- crap. Um. Do you need a bandaid?” he offered, eyes wide. It wasn’t too bad. It was really just a surface scratch. I closed my eyes and shook my head.

“No, it’s ok, I’ll be fine. I should probably get back to the farm anyways and plant these seeds I just got,” I said, motioning to my pouch of parsnip seeds. Footsteps approached from behind me, and I turned to see that beautiful brunette yet again. Yoba, why now? My hair was definitely a mess from the fall, and I knew I had some dirt on me.

“You alright farmer?” Alex asked. "You took quite the tumble." He had a teasing smile, but his eyes were caring. I tried hard to bite down my smile.

“I’m alright, just some scratches,” I playfully jutted out my elbows for him to see. “Right Sam?”

I turned to look at him and my smile fell. He looked annoyed.

“Yeah just some scratches,” he huffed under his breath.

Vincent didn't seem to notice the tension.

“I get ‘em all the time!! Look at the one on my knee from yesterday,” Vincent lifted up his tattered, blue cargo shorts to show us all his scab. Trying to ignore Sam’s behavior, I took much more interest in Vincent’s scab than necessary. I opened my jaw in exaggerated shock.

“Woah! That’s pretty serious looking. You should be the one with a bandaid on,” I said. Alex chuckled behind me which drew my attention back to him.

“Need help planting those parsnips?” he questioned. My eyes went wide, and I tried to hide it with a thoughtful look. Of course I was going to let the hot jock help me plant my parsnips. For one, I was still tired from yesterday. And I also got knocked over. Two.. I wouldn’t mind seeing him get to work on my farm.

“Sure?” I replied. “C’mon, farms this way. Nice to meet you guys! And careful with that skateboard” I bid farewell to the brothers, Vincent gave a cheery goodbye and Sam gave a half hearted smile with a wave.

I think I came across as a nice enough person? I don’t think I did anything to upset him, unless he’s protective over his brother? Or maybe he and Alex just don’t get along. Sam seems like he’s on the exact opposite side of the athletic spectrum, maybe that was it? Different sports come with different personalities...that's gotta be it.

Once we arrived to the farm, I made Alex some lemonade while he got to work on the parsnips. It didn’t take long, but it was nice that he offered to help.

It was also nice that he took his shirt off.

The sun glistened on the thin layer of sweat he had built up on his tanned, muscular back. Thank Yoba I brought sunglasses. I pretended to keep busy while I read a magazine, but I couldn’t stop watching him. He worked without a single complaint, and even went ahead and cleared a small area of land for me. We chatted for a bit with lemonade in hand, but he didn't seem to want to put his shirt back on. Not that I was complaining.

Before he left, he confirmed our cookie get together for Wednesday and wrote down his number on a blank page of the magazine I was reading.

Maybe moving here wasn't such a bad idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sam's POV is coming in the next chapter!!


	4. real pretty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like sam curses a lot? so uh.

Sam’s POV

“Alright.. ready for this?” I challenged Vincent. He balled his hands up into fists and screamed energetically in response. This kid is probably just as full of energy as I was when I was his age. “Okay, alright. So first things first. You gotta keep one foot at the front of the board in between the bolts here, and here,” I pointed to the tiny bolts screwed into my old board. “And the other foot goes in the back, like this. You wanna keep your shoulders in line with the board too, ok? That’s the stance you gotta have for this trick.” I instructed on the board while Vincent sat on the concrete, a serious look in his eyes like he was taking mental notes. I know he’d forget this all in a minute, but I’ll let him live. He’s got plenty of time to learn.

After teaching him how to do it while he was the one on the board, he became disinterested and started picking through our front yard for worms. He liked using sticks to create houses for them. It's sweet, but pretty sad. Dad's been away for such a long time at war, I think this is how he copes and lives an ideal family life. With worms. 

My head was clouded with thoughts of my father at the worst possible time. I lost focus, and the board slipped from under me at a rapid speed. Right towards someone.

“WATCHOUT-”

...

Shit

I knocked over a girl. A really pretty girl. I quickly got to my feet and stood there, not really thinking about if she was ok, which was a dick move, but trying to figure out who she was. Was this the new farmer mom was talking about? Fuck. It definitely was. She _literally_ has overalls on.

She just kinda laid there for a while. It was like we were both frozen.

“...is she dead?” Vincent said from behind me. He was barely peeking his eyes out from behind my legs.

“No..no Vince she’s alive,” I said, and extended my arm out for her to get up. She opened her eyes and my Yoba, it was like love at first sight.

Ok, maybe that was just for me.

Her eyes were so dark. Not exactly brown or black...but dark. Mysterious. Her wavy black hair had slightly come undone from her ponytail upon her fall, but it was still so beautiful. Her sun kissed cheeks... man I could be jealous, but I never knew I could be jealous of the sun. They were pulled up from squinting up at me from the sun, so I angled my head so it would be less of a problem for her.

Knight in shining armor, I know.

She took my hand and pulled herself up.

“Thanks,” she muttered, brushing herself off. Fuck. How did I mess things up with the freshest thing to show up here in years?

Vincent introduced himself, and I took that as a chance to take a deep breath. I could probably still fix this? She’s pretty, and she seems nice..

She was looking at me. Why was she looking at me like that? OH-

“My name’s Sam. I’m sorry that this is the way we met,” I rambled. I probably would’ve been smoother if I had the chance to think my introduction over before I ruined her life.

“Probably would’ve been better if I wasn’t bleeding,” she joked, and then looked at her elbows. She was actually bleeding, and it shocked her too because her smile fell. Fuck. I wish it would come back.

“Oh sh- crap. Um. Do you need a bandaid?” I mentally hit myself for nearly cursing in front of Vincent. He wouldn’t snitch on me, but he’d definitely start screaming it around the house, and mom would have a fit.

She waved me off with a small smile. I felt my breath catch in my throat, it comes back so naturally. So easily.

“No, it’s ok, I’ll be fine. I should probably get back to the farm anyways and plant these seeds I just got.”

I’m lost in her smile, so I don't realize the thick-headed jock is making his way over.

If Alex was good at one thing, it was fucking other people's girlfriends.

“You alright farmer?” he asked her, all smiles.

yOu AlRiGhT fArMeR???

Fuck this guy. Of course he’s already making moves on her, and I barely even met her. All I did was hurt her, and now he’s going to plant some fuckin' parsnips on her farm. I could've been the one planting parsnips. I mean, like, I don't know the first thing thing to do when it comes to farming, but I'd learn.

We say our goodbyes, and I muster up enough confidence to give her a lopsided smile and a wave. Vincent and I stood there, watching them disappear into Cindersap Forest.

“Skye's real pretty, Sammy!” Vincent whispers, hands cupped around his mouth. 

"What? You know her name?"

"Yeah! She told it to me before you introduced yourself. You really gotta start paying more attention!" he said, ironically stepping on one of the worms from his stick house.

If Vincent was right about anything, it was that I _did_ need to pay more attention. I was so busy being a perv I didn't even hear her introduce herself. 

Vincent was right about another thing, though. 

She was real pretty. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heheheh


	5. stringy bangs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!! the story's going so slow rn, i know but i kind of just want her to meet her eventual group of friends and then i'll get the ball rolling i PROMISE.

I woke up on a sunny Tuesday afternoon. Sleeping in definitely wasn't the way of the farmer, but I think it was well earned after being so tired yesterday. Thankfully, I had much more energy; I knew I had to introduce myself to more people today, so this time I won't run out of steam. Or, you know, be tripped by a skateboard. I hoped I would run into Alex again under his old oak tree. I smiled as I looked down at my bandaged elbows. He had insisted that he disinfect them and wrap them up. 

“I know they’re just scratches, but you don’t want them to get worse than that,” he had sported that gorgeous pearly white smirk of his, and I knew I couldn’t resist his help. His fingers were calloused but he was so gentle when he bound my elbows in gauze. 

I had to get him out of my head. I would see him tomorrow to try some of his grandmother’s cookies. 

I walked out of the house and onto the creaky front deck to take a look at the work Alex had done. There was still a lot of work to do, but just looking at the barely sprouting parsnips made me feel accomplished. I’ll have to make sure to pay him some gold when I sell them. 

I headed down the road, my ponytail swaying in the breeze behind me. It was a little chilly, but the maroon turtleneck beneath my overalls kept me warm. 

I decided to walk further into town today, where Lewis told me the blacksmith and library was. Unfortunately, I didn’t spot Alex in the shade by his house. My lips subconsciously turned down. It would’ve been nice to say hi to him, even if I was seeing him tomorrow. 

I walked past Lewis’s house and headed towards the bridge to cross the river. It was hard to miss the vibrant purple hair peering over the bridge. My feet came to a stop behind her. 

“Excuse me?” I asked softly. Her head whipped around, her blue eyes staring at me defensively and then squinting, trying to figure out who I was. “Um, sorry. I just wanted to introduce myself. My name’s Skye, I’m the new farmer,” I introduced myself with a small wave. Her eyebrows shot up and her eyes widened, realizing who I was. 

“Ohhh that’s right. I heard someone new was moving to the farm. I’m Abigail, nice to meet you,” she gave a half hearted smile and waved in return. “I’m gonna miss exploring those overgrown fields by myself,” she admitted bashfully. I waved her off. 

“I did the same thing when I was a kid, don’t worry about it. I’m sure there are other places to explore around here,” I guessed. She narrowed her eyes in thought, a mischievous smile adorning her face. 

“Well…” she began, looking from left to right to see if anyone was within earshot distance. “There _is_ a secret woods somewhere in Cindersap Forest, but I’ve never been able to find it.” 

This was extremely tempting. While I wanted to meet everyone, I’ve heard most of the town goes to the Saloon on Friday. I can hold off until then. 

“I have some old tools.. wanna go look for it?” I asked. She began walking towards me, looped her arm with mine and pulled me back towards the farm. 

“You and I are gonna get along _great_.”

  
  
  


We stopped at her house, which just ended up being Pierre’s general store. When he told me he had a daughter, I definitely didn’t expect it to be her. I even got to meet her mother, Caroline. She told me I was welcome anytime, and as I smelled what she was cooking for lunch I couldn’t possibly reject her offer. 

When we entered Abigail’s room, she shut the door and walked to her bookshelf, pulling a small dagger out from behind it. The holographic blade bounced off of the dim blue lights she had strung up on her walls.   
  
She brought her finger to her lips.   
  
“My dad would kill me if he saw I had a weapon in here, so keep this hush hush.”   
  
We stored it away in my bag, picked up some tools at the farm, and began our search in Cindersap Forest. A large log caught my eye right off the bat, and I pointed it out to her. 

“Oh my Yoba of _COURSE_ ,” she facepalmed. “I always had a sneaking suspicion about what was behind that log, but I never had the right tools to do it. Can’t exactly break it with this,” her eyes rolled, dagger in hand. 

So I gave the old axe a try. A really long try. But 5 minutes in, I had only made a few chips in the looming rock. Abigail insisted on giving it a whack, her battle cries scaring away the flock of birds gathered in the forest. No luck. If anything, the log had made dents in the axe.

“This has to be it. I know it. But this pickaxe is really not doing the job,” she huffed. The work under the sun had made her bangs stick to her forehead, and I’m sure I didn’t look any better. 

“Maybe we should call it a day? I’ll try and get a better one from the blacksmith when I have the money,” I wearily suggested. She slowly nodded her head yes, still thinking of different things to try. She was relentless, and definitely resourceful, but nothing was getting this boulder out of the way. Not today.

We decided to call it a day, but not before Abigail invited me to the Stardrop Saloon on Friday. She claimed her band hung out there weekly and that I should meet them there. 

“The only time Sebastian comes out of his room is when we go to the Saloon, so you kinda _have_ to go if you plan on meeting the whole town,” she stressed. 

And so I had two solid social plans this week. I’ll meet a lot of the town Friday, and I meet Alex’s grandparents tomorrow.

Alex.

I should text him to confirm. 

SKYE:

Hi!! It’s Skye. I just wanted to check if you were still on for cookies tomorrow?

ALEX:

You bet I am ;) wanna come over around 9am? 

I blushed at the winky face, as childish as it was. Talking to him made me feel like I was back in high school. 

SKYE:

Sounds good :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cookie time with alex in the next chapter :)


	6. river talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took a few days! i wasn't really sure what to do and i didn't have much inspiration

Today was the day. I got up a little too early today, but who could blame me? I parted my hair down the middle and lightly curled it. Not too much obviously, I _was_ still a farmer, but enough to look better than I did on an average day. My pale green overall dress embraced my hips, my white turtleneck making me warm enough for my cheeks to flush; I kept the fireplace lit overnight because the spring darkness was too cold for my sensitive skin. Mascara coated lashes framed my face, and I decided to give myself a small wing as well. Cherry lipgloss was the last thing I applied before I gave myself a glance in the mirror and stepped out the door.

It was nice being a farmer, I got to make my own schedule. 

Unfortunately, watering the plants was something I had to do every day. 

The parsnips were starting to sprout more, and the green beans and cauliflower I bought after my short lived adventure with Abigail yesterday had little buds. I smiled peacefully as I gave them water, then looked out to the rest of the farm. There was a lot of work to do here, but I’d get a chunk of that done tomorrow since I didn’t have any other plans. 

  
I decided to walk through Cindersap Forest to get to town. Not many people walk around here, but the ranch hand had super cute cows I found myself growing to love. I made a mental note to talk to her about purchasing one as I strolled into town. The spring breeze nipped at my cheeks, and I fluttered. Was it from nerves or was it really just the breeze? 

I couldn’t mull it over, because the blonde boy who knocked me over caught my eye. I checked my phone. 8:45.   
  
I didn’t think I was good enough friends with Alex to arrive 15 minutes early, so I decided to sit down next to Sam. He glanced up at me before returning his gaze to the river, and then looked at me again, startled. 

“Oh. Um. Hey,” he exhaled a laugh. A laugh escaped my lips. 

“Hey? Am I interrupting a deep thought sesh?” I teased. His eyes briefly darted to the side. I had. 

“Haha.. no you’re good.” That’s all he said. I puffed out my lips, looking anywhere but at his face. Then I mumbled.  
  
“...so uh.. what’s up?” 

Yoba this was _so_ fucking awkward. He seemed nice, but both times we had met turned into a mess. 

“I’m uh… just thinking about life,” he responded, picking at the grass beneath him. Oh shit. That was _definitely_ a touchy subject. 

“I’m sorry. I don’t really want to pry-”

“He’s in the army. Been away for a few years… dude really used to be a garbage man before we moved here too. Can you imagine picking up trash for half a decade and then thinking, ‘Man, I kinda want to join the army!’” He grinned, but his eyes gave him away. “Anyways, Vince found out about how many of our guys were dying out there, and I tried to convince him that dad wasn’t one of them, but it just… kinda got me thinking.” He began surveying the water again. “Sorry to dump this all on you, I put my friends through enough agony talking about all this stuff and I just needed to talk about it.”

My heart fell into my stomach. I didn’t know what to say. 

“I think you did the right thing, telling Vincent that your dad’s still alive. I think it’s good that kids have hope,” I offered. He sat still for a moment before energetically nodding his head.

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” he replied. “Sooo…” he gave me once over. 

“You look very farmer chic today.”

SAM’S POV

...farmer chic? Am I stupid? After I word vomited all over her I decided to call her _farmer chic_. Thank Yoba she laughed. 

“Yeah, I’m meeting up with someone today,” she blushed as she curled a hair behind her ear. My spirits sank, but I refused to stop smiling. 

“Who with?” I regretted that as soon as I asked. It was Alex. 

“Alex,” she smiled hopefully, bashfully even. Good fucking Yoba. I slowly nodded my head and looked back at the river. 

“Cool. Hope you have fun,” I said bluntly. Skye’s mood shifted and I knew I said the wrong thing. 

“I will. See ya around.” And with that, she stood up and walked off towards Alex’s house. I kept my eyes glued to the river. I wasn't about to let her catch me looking at her as she walked away. 

SKYE’S POV

Sam was _definitely_ not in a great mood today. I forgot how upset he got yesterday when Alex joined our conversation. I couldn't worry about that now, though. I have a mildly romantic cookie date to attend.

I arrived at Alex’s and knocked on the door, but not before straightening out my dress a few times. When the door opened, I was shocked. 

A blonde woman with sparkling blue eyes opened the door.

Looks like _she_ was allowed 15 minutes early.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh ohhhh we got haley


	7. the saloon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!! sorry i haven't updated in a few days, the weekend was kinda hectic for me. i just read the sweetest comment (thank u naomi) and it inspired me to finish the chapter i was halfway through writing. i hope you guys enjoy!!

I stared at her, a coy smile playing her lips.

“Oh... so _you're_ the new farmer?” she quipped, curling a lock of her hair in her manicured finger. “I’m Haley, Alex’s best friend.” She looked me up and down before snickering. “If it weren’t for those horrendous clothes you might actually be pretty.” She gave me a mocking heartbroken face. “Actually...never mind.”

I didn’t know if insecurity or fury hit me first. She stood there, holding her guard like she didn’t even care. She knew her words held power, and I was her enemy just by showing up to Alex’s house. She stepped outside and closed the door quietly behind her. 

“I know what you’re trying to do,” she whispered calmly. “It might _seem_ like Alex likes you, but don’t get your hopes up. We fuck _every_ weekend, sweetheart. So go run back home and play with your pigs.”

She walked back inside and slammed the door behind her. I stood there frozen, not knowing how to react. I couldn’t even tell her off, she’s gone. I could hear Alex asking who was outside, and Haley saying it was just Pam. I couldn’t even cry, but I was trembling. I was so blown away by what just happened. I couldn't even respond with my mind racing a thousand miles a second. What do I do now?

I get a text from Abigail,

ABBY:

have fun on ur date skye ;) tell me EVERYTHING.

…

And that’s when I started crying.

~

I sat in Abigail’s room, sobbing, telling her everything. She sat there, wide eyed. 

“That _bitch_. I never understood what Sam saw in her. Polar opposites.”

I looked up at her through tear coated lashes, confused. _Oh._

 _That’s_ why Sam hated Alex so much. The pieces were finally connecting. 

“My friend Sam, he’s so nice. Like, _stupid_ nice. And she’s just such a-” she paused to clench her fists, her eyebrows knotting together as she grunted in frustration. “It was like, a really short lived fling. I think it lasted less than a week, honestly. But she cheated on him with Alex. I still don’t know if Alex knew what she was doing so that’s why I was cheering you on… oh Yoba, Skye I’m so, _so_ sorry.”

I went back to the farm after Abigail offered me cookies, booze, and much to my surprise, a joint, but I declined all of them. I just wanted to lay in my bed, so that’s exactly what I did. 

~

I laid in bed for so long that my body started to ache. I'd only get out of bed to water the crops and use the bathroom. When Friday rolled around, I finally decided to check my phone. Several texts and a missed call from Abigail and a text from Alex. 

ABBY:

hey babe how ya doin?

still in bed?

i’m really sorry about what happened, you didn’t deserve it. 

i hope you still come out to the saloon tonight :( if not tho i understand

i can bring u some spaghetti, gus makes a mean meat sauce. 

I smiled. I’m glad I’ve made at least one friend since I’ve been here. And honestly...drinking my sorrows away didn’t sound too bad. 

SKYE: 

What time should I meet you there again?

I got a text back immediately.

ABBY:

8!! can’t wait!

It’s 3 now. I have a few hours to spare. I took a deep, unhopeful breath before looking at Alex’s text. 

ALEX:

Hey, I’m sorry if Haley scared you off. I saved you a couple cookies in case you want to stop by :) 

My heartbeat quickened. He saved me cookies?

Ok, _wait._

I don’t think I should be getting involved with him if he’s so into Haley. Maybe he’s just being friendly? But I couldn’t help it. He still thought of me, even if the she-wolf was guarding him.

SKYE:

I’ll keep that in mind! Thanks so much.

~

I arrived at the Saloon at 8:02, and things were lively. Well, until _they_ saw me walk in. There wasn’t a single sound besides the jukebox playing a cheerful tune. Unfamiliar faces peered over their drinks to look at me. I guess I couldn’t blame them, not many new people show up to the valley very often from what Abigail’s told me.  
“Well hey there farmer!” the jolly man behind the counter said. Suddenly, everyone was introducing themselves. Gus, Emily, Pam, Harvey, Willy. 

“Hey now back it up, let her breathe, you can all meet Skye _later_ ,” Abigail pushed through the crowd, saving me from the overwhelming situation I walked myself into. I breathed a thank you in return, and she brought me over to the next room and dragged me into a booth, seating herself across from me. To my right, Sam and a tall boy in all black were standing by a pool table paying me no mind, They seemed to be bickering over something. Abigail followed my eyes and smiled. “They do this all the time. Make bets on who’s gonna win. It’s always Sebastian,” she pointed to the boy. “I don’t know _why_ Sam even still bothers. He’s lost so much money it’s like Sebastian has a side job.”

I let out a nervous giggle, still not over the energy I had received from the townsfolk. Abigail smiled sadly.  
“You alright champ? You don’t have to worry about Alex or Haley coming to the Saloon. They never come here, like they’re too good for it or something.”

“Oh my YOBA,” Sam said in defeat, sliding into the seat next to me, but speaking to Abigail. “If I have to hear his name, like, one more time, you’re kicked out of the band.”

“Pfft,” Abigail jeered, “It’s not much of a loss. Not like you’re paying me or anything,” Sebastian sat on the cushion next to her and gave her a sly high five. 

“Haha, yeah. Not after I kick your ass in pool every weekend,” he gave a small smile, the lingering smell of cigarettes and something else clinging to his breath. On second inspection, it was definitely weed. His bloodshot eyes darted to me, and his eyebrows barely raised a centimeter. “You just moved in right?” he asked. Sam flinched beside me, like he was noticing me for the first time. I had to laugh. 

“Yeah, I’m Skye, nice to meet you,” I opted for giving him a small wave. He nodded his head in return.

“Cool. I’m Sebastian.”

“Or you can call him Sebby Webbyyyy,” Abigail taunted him, poking his sides.

She _definitely_ had a few drinks before I got here. He swatted her hand away but couldn’t hide his grin. 

“Please don’t call me that.” He was still grinning, but somehow I knew he _really_ didn’t want to be called that, at least by me. It seemed like a pet name exclusively for Abigail. It’s a cute pairing, I had to admit. “You guys want a round? On me,” he flashed the pouch of gold he had just won from Sam, to which he rolled his eyes. 

“Technically it’s on me, but yeah, whatever,” Sam pouted. Sebastian and Abigail slid out of the booth, and she winked at me before trailing behind him. I couldn’t help but let out a breathy laugh. Go get him girl.

“Sooo,” Sam said, twisting his body to face me. “How’d that date go?” Oh Yoba. Really not the time. I hoped the goth squad would come back soon so I could drink to forget. He must’ve noticed my body withdrawing, so he faced forward and let out of a deep breath of air. We both sat there, staring at the empty seats in front of us for a while. It wasn’t awkward though. I knew he had been in a similar situation with them before I came here. It was a mutual blow to the heart. “I know how you feel,” Sam muttered, taking a swig of the last bit of beer from his previous pint. _I do too_ I wanted to tell him. But he didn’t know that I knew. “You don’t deserve a guy like Alex. He’s just bad news,” he turned to look at me again, an arm flung around the back of the booth. I couldn’t help the flush that rose to my cheeks. 

His arm didn’t touch me, but it was kind of around me. His glossy green eyes looked at me curiously, trying desperately to get a read on me in his drunken state. His lips were a bit fuller than usual too, probably from biting down on the flesh in focus during his disappointment of a pool game. He was definitely a pretty boy, but he was also drunk. That's probably why he was so close to me. 

“Order up!,” Abigail stumbled back into the booth, Sebastian behind her with a tray of four pints. Sam had recoiled his arm before they noticed, and I had to take a deep breath. I definitely need this drink after the week I've had. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehehe


	8. the jacket

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! sorry it's been a while. my mom came to visit me for a weekend and i've been preoccupied with homework. but here's some more sam!

I woke up to a pounding headache, my stomach swirling with nausea. I definitely had too much to drink last night, but I can’t seem to remember how many pints of beer I had. Come to think of it, I can’t really remember much of anything from last night. I rolled over in bed too quickly to reach for my phone, causing another heavy wave of nausea to hit me. I groaned and opened my eyes. 

_Oh Yoba_. 

This was not my room. 

The wooden walls I was used to back at the farm were replaced with deep red bricks, most of them covered with various posters of rock bands. An electric blue guitar sat up on a stand next to a bookshelf of various comics and old college textbooks. I sat up slowly in the mystery bed, and in the far left corner was a drum kit and a keyboard. 

_Who’s fucking house is this?!_

Before I could fully freak out, I heard a knock at the door. 

“Come in?” I croaked. I was extremely dehydrated; I could feel the grooves of my teeth engraved on the sides of my tongue. 

The door opened slowly, and to my surprise, Sam walked in with a tall glass of water. 

SAM’S POV:

Sleeping on the couch was _not_ the move, but I really didn’t have any other choice. Last night was a fucking mess to say the least. Skye got _hammered_. Sebastian and Abigail left together, and that left us at the booth alone. 

Her cheeks were rosy, and she kept giggling about how tall my hair was. 

“It’s like the sun,” her words slurred, and I had to smile. She was adorable. 

Until she threw up. That was a lot less adorable.

“Oh shit,” I muttered, looking around to see if there was anything I could clean up with. Most of the bar had cleared up at that point, but Gus was still behind the counter. I explained the situation and he helped me clean her and the table up. 

“She doesn’t look too great, Sam, you should take her on back to the farm,” he sighed, cleaning the last few pint glasses that were chugged from that night. 

“Do you think she can make it that far?” I questioned, genuinely concerned. She was knocked out at a different, cleaner booth, my Joja jacket wrapped around her and her head leaning against the wall. 

Gus sighed and placed his wet rag down. 

“Be a gentleman then, will you?” 

I sighed. My mom will _freak_ if she sees a drunk girl in the house, but that’s really the only option at this point. 

“Yes sir,” I groaned, walking back over to the booth. “Come on Skye, it’s time to get some sleep.”

She stirred slightly, and I thought she wasn’t going to move until she raised both arms out towards me.

 _She wanted me to pick her up_.

Alright Samson, stay cool. I picked her up and slung her arm around my neck. If I carried her bridal style and she threw up again... I didn't even wanna think about it.

“Have a g'night Gussy, thanks for your help,” I called out to him. He gave a small wave. 

“Anytime, son.”

While Gus wasn’t my real father, he was the closest thing I had to one while Kent was away. He’d give me small discounts and chat with me about how Pam isn’t paying her tabs or how Shane actually talked to him for more than five seconds. I’d talk to him about the band, Vincent, and sometimes my mom when she was going a little too crazy from playing the single mother role. Besides Abigail, Sebastian, and now Skye, he was one of the only people in this town who showed sympathy for me. It was a nice relationship we had. 

I hadn’t told him about Skye yet; it’s too new. I'm interested in her, but so far she's only compared my hair to the sun. 

Instead of walking through the front door, I creaked open my bedroom window from the outside and jumped in. I picked up Skye, who was still outside, and carried her into my bed. She knocked out pretty much instantly, I even had to check her pulse just to make sure she was still alive. I let out a deep sigh and left to go sleep on the couch for the night. 

SKYE’S POV:

Sam told me _everything_ about last night. 

“Yoba, that’s so embarrassing. You really didn’t have to do all this though,” I whispered, motioning to my place in his bed. His deep, golden sheets were comfy but I felt like I was intruding. He tried to hide his reddening cheeks by looking away, but I caught them. Was this as weird for him as it was for me?

“Don’t worry about it. I don’t think you would’ve made it back to the farm anyways,” he chuckled. I let out a breathy laugh to ease some tension, but I think it just created more. The room was silent for a while. He picked at some strings on his guitar while I took the extra strength Tylenol he had given me. Even after I finished, I didn’t know what to do. _Should I leave?_

“Alright, well, crops aren’t going to water themselves am I right?” I joked, awkwardly getting myself out of his bed like it was no big deal. _Totally_ not a big deal I slept in a guy's bed. 

“Haha, um, yeah. I could help you out if you want,” he offered, but didn’t make a move to get out of his seat. I think we both knew it was an empty offer, just something to seem nice. 

“No, it’s ok. I’m gonna lay down afterwards and try and sleep off this hangover. ButI’llseeyoulater,” I rushed, trying to seem nice but _fuck_ it came out so awkwardly. He exhaled through his nose, a tense laugh. 

“No worries, I’ll see you later Skye,” he reassured me, more confident than before. 

Our interactions were like a seesaw, never perfectly balanced. One of us was always a bit socially awkward, and the other was bold. Our energies had swapped places, and I’m not sure if I liked it. As much as I didn’t want to think about it as I walked back to the farm, it dominated my thoughts. It dominated my thoughts when I watered the plants. It clouded my vision as I made myself some sunny side up eggs. And when I questioned myself as to why the boy I knew close to nothing about was living in my thoughts, his tattered, light blue jacket sitting on my shoulders sent shivers down my spine. 

_I never thanked him for last night_. 

A quick text to Abigail got me his number. She questioned me relentlessly, but I ignored it for the time being and texted Sam.

SKYE:

Hey, it's Skye. I got your number from Abigail, hope that's ok!! I just realized I never thanked you for taking care of me last night. Also I have your jacket, do you want me to bring that back today?

He responded within a few minutes. 

  
SAM:

No problemo. You can keep that jacket, idrc about it too much. 

SKYE: 

Are you sure? Because if it stays with me too long I'm sewing patches into it.

SAM: 

Pffft fine by me. Go crazy. Anything you do to it will make Joja more appealing.

It was definitely easier to talk to him over text. I found myself being more playful. Maybe I didn't totally screw things up. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know this chapter's short but we'll get into some deeper stuff later ;) the next couple of chapters are going to be about the flower dance, so start getting HYPED


	9. alex's house

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me apologize REAL quick for not updating for a while.

I sat on my couch for what seemed like hours. My grandfather, Yoba bless his soul, did not have many channels available on his TV, so that got boring fast. Even though my stomach and head felt better, my eyelids felt too heavy for it to be 3 in the afternoon. 

That is, until I received a text from Alex.

I cursed my heart for fluttering. 

ALEX:

Hey, would you want to come over for those cookies today? Haley’s not here :)

Oh Yoba. I sighed and tossed my phone on the coffee table, letting my head hit the decorative pillow with Betsy the cow embroidered on it. Part of me wanted to distract myself from the beautiful tanned boy under the old oak tree. Haley seemed to be extremely possessive of him, but he didn’t seem to have the same feelings towards her. Something that was clear, though, was that they weren’t in a committed relationship. 

They just had sex every weekend. 

Deep breaths, Skye. 

I couldn’t help but get shivers that shook me to my core. Is that what Alex wanted? Was I just going to be a fling for him? Or am I just getting too far into my head and he’s just trying to be nice?

With a long glance back at his text message, I finally made up my mind. 

  
SKYE:

I’ll be there in an hour :)

  
  


I knocked on the dark green door, more nervous than I was last time. I had to remind myself of Alex’s text. _Haley’s not here._ Just me and Alex. The door swung open and my smile faltered a bit. An older woman stood at the door, a thick red parka sitting on her thin shoulders. Okay. Me, Alex, and his grandparents. Right.

Her happy eyes relaxed me instantly. 

“Hi darling!” her voice rang out clear, but a bit watery. Not like she was about to cry, it was just an old age thing. “You must be Skye. Alex _cannot_ stop talking about you,” she ushered me inside as she spoke slowly. She paused slightly between each word; it didn’t sound like she was sick, she was just very articulate. My cheeks grew warm at her words. 

“It’s very nice to meet you…”

“My name is Evelyn, but you can call me Granny,” she said, going in for a hug. I wrapped my arms around her loosely, not wanting to break her. While her voice was powerful, her frame felt weak, and the last thing I wanted to do was crush Alex’s grandmother. “Please dear, make yourself at home! I’ll go get Alex,” she insisted making the slow but near trek to what I assumed was his room. 

His _room_. I wonder what it was like? Was it messy? Probably a little, but I doubt Evelyn lets him turn it into a pigsty. 

I admired the kitchen I sat in. A small window above the sink let in a stream of light that bounced off the adjacent stove. There were photos decorating the outline of the window, mostly just pictures of the valley, but there was also a small picture of a man in a bright blue jumpsuit outside of a coal mine. He looked about 30 or 40, but no older than that. He was smiling triumphantly, pickaxe in hand. It certainly wasn’t Alex, but he looked similar to him. 

I found myself so lost in the beauty of the kitchen that I didn’t notice the man in the wheelchair sitting in front of the television set in the next room over. He obviously knew I was there, he heard me and assumingly, his wife, speaking in the kitchen, but he didn’t seem up to introductions, so I pretended he wasn’t there as well. I didn’t mean to be rude, he just seemed like he wasn’t up for conversation. 

Then I did a double take. I looked back and forth from his grandfather and the man in the picture when it hit me. That was _him_ in front of the coal mine. Now he was in a wheelchair. I suddenly felt bad for not introducing myself. 

"Must be irritating to have to meet so many people, huh?" he grunted, his face glued to the tv. I nervously laughed. 

"Haha, yeah. Just a bit."

"The names George."

"My name's Skye."

He grunted again, and that was the end of our conversation. Not very friendly, but simple enough. 

“Hey there, farmer,” a voice called out from down the hallway. I looked down and bit my lip to hide my smile. I didn’t even have to look up to know it was him talking to me. 

“Hey there,” I greeted him. “I don’t have a nickname for you, but I feel like I should.”

He took the chair next to me and spun it around, casually sitting backwards on the chair so he can lean his toned arms on it. He wasn't wearing his usual varsity jacket. He wore a semi-loose college tee, so his arms were on full display. His muscles weren't bulging like a bodybuilder's, they were just there. It looked natural, and there was something beautiful about his tan contouring them.

“You can call me pro,” he jeered, resting his head on top of his arms to get closer to me. I rolled my eyes playfully and smiled, trying not to get flustered at the proximity of his face. 

“In your dreams,” I teased. The glint in his eyes disappeared quickly, and if you weren’t paying attention you wouldn’t have noticed. His grin didn't falter. This was a touchy subject for him. His whole ego was a touchy subject, but he wasn’t rude about it. He joked about it almost, like it was a different person he was joking about. But deep down I couldn’t help but wonder who crushed his spirit. 

“Oh, Alex is a _great_ gridball player,” Evelyn praised. She then lowered her voice a level as if to tell me a secret, even though he was right next to me. “I’m sure if you ask him, he’ll show you how to play!” A hopeful smile played at her lips. It was clear she knew how to get Alex's spirits up again, because the gleam in his eyes returned. 

“We can go to the beach when it starts warming up and I can teach you some tricks. Maybe you’ll get as good as me,” he gloated, but again, as a joke. Being full of himself was a light joke for him, and while it wasn't something I could understand from personal experience, it was something I could respect.

“I think I can work myself up to it,” I pretended to ponder, returning his smile. We both gave a small laugh and then shared a look. It was a short look, but it sent a deep pit into my stomach. A glance that was about a second long, and it screamed one word. 

Lust. 

Oh Yoba. 

I glanced around the kitchen to calm myself before Evelyn interrupted my thoughts. 

“Who wants cookies!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't know if i can bring myself to write smut, but this thang is rated M for a reason. i'll probably imply it happening but thassabout it luv


	10. the dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> flower dance or whatever

The weeks that came after Alex and I’s get together were slow, but productive. My parsnips were finally ready to sell, and with that money I bought a few more spring crop seeds. Rows of cauliflower, green beans, and strawberries took up a good amount of land in front of my house, which means I had to clear out some trees and rocks to make space. While it was grueling work, I found myself less stressed in the morning when I’d take in my environment. Sure, there was still a lot of work to do, but it was a big improvement and I did it by myself. Well, mostly by myself, but that’s besides the point. 

After I nearly missed the Egg Festival, I found myself checking the calendar in town daily to see about town’s events and birthdays. After getting some tips from people in the valley, I knew what to get everyone for their big days. I missed Lewis’s birthday by a day, so I made up for it by bringing him some green tea that my grandfather had in the cabinets. I had Willy snag me a snail for Vincent since he’s always so adamant on digging for bugs. His big brown eyes looked at me as if he was receiving the best present ever, and it caught me off guard when he said, “Thank you Ms. Skye! Now my worm family can have a pet!” 

I even bought Shane a beer for his birthday. I was a bit hesitant to get him anything since our first meeting was so bitter, but when I saw him standing in the corner of the Saloon and Pam had whispered something about it being his birthday, I knew I had to. “Oh wow… how’d you know I like this stuff?” he muttered sarcastically, looking at the empty pint on the corner next to him. “Lucky guess,” I had told him with a grin, and to my surprise he returned my smile and thanked me for remembering his birthday. 

I was really good at birthday’s now. But when I opened my mailbox on the 23rd and saw a letter from Lewis urging me to go to the Flower Dance, I was struck with nerves. I was so good at birthdays that I hadn't even bothered checking for events. But I _did_ know that Pierre’s birthday was coming up. 

The letter came with directions on where and when the dance was being held. My heart dropped when I read a very looming sentence, though. 

_If you can find a partner, you might even want to participate in the dance yourself!_

Obviously, Lewis is trying to cheer me on, but this was the most threatening sentence I’ve read since I’ve been here. While things with Alex and I were going well, I knew Haley would rope him into being her date. Which means I would be the only young adult not dancing. I’d be alone. Just like I always have been.

I hated myself for feeling so sad. I’ve barely been here for a season and I was sad because a boy probably didn’t like me back. Sure, he gave me “the look” a couple weeks ago when we were at his house, and we’ve hung out a few times since, but Haley’s still in the picture. I didn’t get her a birthday present for a reason. 

I suppose I can still spend time with the others. 

ABBY:

yooo u gotta hot date for the flower dance? 

I laughed at the timing of her message.

SKYE:

Nah, I’m flying solo tomorrow. You?

ABBY: 

i’m goin with seb again, we’ve been going together for a few years now. pray for me, he always smokes a cig right before and it gives me HEADACHES

SKYE: 

Lol, prayin to Yoba as we speak. 

ABBY: 

is alex not going with u? 

SKYE: 

I mean he hasn’t asked me, I’m assuming he’s going with Haley.

ABBY:

ugh probs. like honestly skye i’m happy for u if u go with him but also happy for u if u DONT go with him. he’s so wishy washy

I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I left it on read. Part of me has a fantasy playing on repeat in my head of Alex and I dancing together, but the other part of me had to think realistically. I can’t get my hopes up.

~

I arrived at the dance only a couple minutes late. I didn’t plan on dancing so I wore some basic overalls with a lilac turtleneck, my hair pulled back in a ponytail with some strands down to frame my face. Some light makeup was also applied in a rush; I didn’t want it to seem like I didn’t want to be here, even if I was silently wishing it'd rain so we all had to go home. 

…

I should’ve asked Abigail for the dress code. 

All the men were dressed in powder blue tuxedos, while the women wore white dresses. Not exactly wedding dresses, but summer dresses. And there I was in my overalls thinking I looked decent. I said a hasty hello to Pierre who was running the stand and made a beeline towards Abigail who was chatting with Sebastian and Sam in the far corner. When she spotted me she raised her hand to wave hello but then instantly used it to cover her mouth, stifling a laugh. I came to a stop in front of her, wide-eyed, and motioned to my clothing and then to hers. 

“What the fuck?” I laughed. “I had _no_ clue there was a dress code for this event.”

Abigail finally let her hand fall and laughed silently with her head down, her body doubling over. 

“I’m so sorry! I literally just assumed, but like I shouldn’t have. Honestly I don’t think anyones gonna care,” she tried to reassure me. 

Sebastian gave me a once over and smirked. 

“I’m assuming you’re not dancing today?” he expertly observed. I gave him a “duh!” look and he raised his hands in defense. 

“No, I’m not dancing today,” I lowered my voice, my demeanor shifting. “I think the person I was hoping would ask me already has a partner.” I looked up to see if I could find him, which wasn’t hard because I spotted Haley first. She was dancing in the middle of the field; it looked like she was practicing for her super romantic dance with Alex. And then I spotted him. His usually messy brown hair was slicked back with gel and a red rose sat in the front pocket of his tuxedo. He leaned against the fence behind him, admiring Haley with the eyes that once admired me. 

I’m not even going to bother asking him. I’d make a fool out of myself, and I didn’t need Haley bitching me out in front of the whole town. Once in a lifetime is enough for me. 

I looked back to the trio to see them all standing awkwardly with shifting eyes. Great, I made everyone feel weird. I felt a threatening lump in my throat, which I cleared loudly. 

“I’m gonna go head to your dad’s stand and see if I can get some plants. Have fun guys. Sorry I ruined the mood,” I bid farewell with a small wave, and I turned to leave before I saw them all shift to console me. I didn’t need their pity. As I made my way to Pierre’s stand, I considered just leaving. No one would see me, they were all so preoccupied with their friends, family, and dates. As I was making the decision to run home and spend the rest of the day in bed, Lewis’s booming voice stopped me in my tracks. 

“Good morning everyone! I think we have a full headcount today, which makes me _incredibly_ happy as your Mayor,” he tipped his hat and a few people chuckled. “I’d like to call all of the partners to the middle of the field to begin the dance, and after it finishes we can resume the rest of the day’s festivities!” 

Everybody clapped as the couples made their way to the center. Abigail smiled at Sebastian goofily, and from my angle I couldn’t see his face but I had a feeling he returned it in his own way. Sam stood opposite of a beautiful girl I hadn’t met yet. Her soft red hair was curled at the ends, and a headband with daisies kept stray hairs out of her soft face. She smiled elegantly at him, and again, I had to assume Sam returned that smile in his own way. Then my eyes found Alex’s back. Haley’s flirty, knowing eyes drank him in, and once again, in a way that hurt me in a way it shouldn’t have, I had to assume he did the same thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the outfit design i wrote about is from paradigmnomad's Seasonal Outfits mod on nexus :)


	11. fireworks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> flower dance pt 2! also, i HIGHLY recommend listening to that one part in Fine Line by Harry Styles (4:36 in) when the fireworks start going off in this chapter. it really sets the mood :)

The dance was short, but it felt like forever. I wouldn’t be surprised if Alex was feeling my eyes bore into the back of his head. I felt like such a creep. Everyone applauded at the end of the dance, and I gave a small clap just in case anyone was watching but not because I enjoyed any of it. Some of the partners didn’t even look like they enjoyed it. Many of them looked bored, going through the motions they’ve done a million times over the years. 

Soon enough everyone was devouring the feast Gus had whipped up and chugging pints of beer. I figured if I could get a few drinks in me, I could stand to stay the rest of the day. 

I ended up having two pints, enough to get me mildly drunk but not enough to make me a stumbling disaster. I wasn't trying to wake up in a different bed again.

I had finally gotten some plants from Pierre’s booth, and he offered to keep them with him until I was ready to leave so I didn’t have to carry them around the rest of the day. I thanked him and turned to get some food when I was stopped by a strong frame. _His_ frame. I had to bite my tongue so draw the pain away from my heart. 

“Hey there farmer,” he spoke softly, a sad smile on his lips. I stopped biting my tongue to reconsider my entire thought process. Why was he so sad? He got to dance with Haley, is that not what he wanted?

“Hey yourself, pro,” I teased, but not returning his energy completely. His eyes closed as he let out a breathy laugh. He then looked over his shoulder, probably to see if Haley was busy, which she was. Bickering with her sister, Emily, her only other mood when she wasn't fucking Alex with her eyes. 

“Why didn’t you dance today? I was hoping to see you all gussied up,” he flirted, making it quite obvious he was drinking me in with his eyes. I couldn’t help but become flustered, but it didn’t hide the fact that I was still upset from earlier. 

“No one asked me,” I stated simply, mouth pressed into a firm line. As much as Alex and I get along, and as beautiful as he is suave, I’m not going to let him walk into my life whenever he wants to. There are unwritten rules to this sort of thing. He got the hint instantly, and his smile dropped. 

“Look,” he sighed, running a hand through his gelled hair. “I wanted to ask you.”

I blinked to reset my thoughts. 

“You wanted to ask _me_?” I repeated.

“Yeah, I did. But Haley…” he looked over his shoulder again to see Haley trying to fight with Emily while she just ignored her and braided daisies into Jas’s hair. “Haley and I have history. I didn’t want to upset her.”

If only he fucking knew. The story Abigail told me about the cursed love triangle between Sam, Haley, and Alex came to mind and I had to bite my tongue again, only this time to not spill the beans. I already made things awkward before, I can’t risk losing my only friends here. 

“That’s fine then. Have a good rest of your day,” I say nonchalantly, going to walk past him to find Abby so I could distract myself, but his strong arms gently held me back. The same gentle hands that bandaged me up on my first day in town, and the same gentle hands that broke the final cookie in half so we could go halfsies, stopped me in my tracks. He lifted a hand up to my chin so I would meet his eyes, and I prayed he didn’t feel me shiver. 

“Skye,” he pleaded, an emotion I had never seen from him before. This was also the first time he had ever called me by my actual name and not my usual nickname. “Will you go on a date with me next Friday?” 

I couldn’t breathe, but I was okay with it. All the anger I had towards him melted away. 

A date. 

“What about Haley?” I had to ask. 

“Me and Haley aren’t dating, we just have history,” he promised.

I hesitated to answer, so he took another turn. 

“I start running the ice cream stand in a few days when summer starts. I’ll snag two parfaits and then we can head to the beach and toss the gridball around.” He had a hand on both of my arms now, his hold was still gentle but eager.

“Fine. It’s a date. But as _friends_ ,” I concluded. There was no room for compromise here, especially since Haley wouldn’t care if we were friends or married with kids, she’d still hate it. Alex was slightly taken aback, but then he finally released me from his hold and nodded his head. 

“See ya’ Friday afternoon then farmer,” he said and held out his hand. A friendly thing to do that friends do. 

“See ya’ Friday Alex.”

I shook his hand professionally and watched him walk away. I couldn't help but question my morals. Did I want to break the blonde demon's heart? On one hand she was nothing but horrible to me, but on the other she was a person with feelings. I couldn't begin to imagine what she must've went through to be that way. But then I stopped myself and thought about myself. This could be my first shot at a good relationship in years.

I came to the conclusion that Haley would find someone else.

SAM’S POV:

I sat in the corner of the field, drunk off my ass while I watched Skye and Alex’s interaction. I should’ve asked her to be my partner but I honestly assumed Alex took care of it. I knew from the moment she walked in she was going solo. Her heart looked so broken when she was talking to us all before the dance, and right as I was going to ask her she walked away.

In hindsight it was probably for the best I didn’t ask her. Pam would’ve had me by my neck if I didn’t dance with Penny, especially after what happened between us a few years ago. Penny was my rebound after Haley cheated on me, and I was a way for her to cope with having to take care of her drunk mother every night. We hooked up for a little bit, but eventually I got over it and she began investing more time into Vincent and Jas, so we decided to end our situation-ship. Pam was _not_ happy about it; she’d ridicule me every weekend for three months as soon as I stepped foot into the saloon. Thankfully, in her mind me and her daughter were just dating. If she had known me and Penny were just screwing around like rabbits she would've _killed_ me. So I dance with Penny once a year at the peak of allergy season to keep Pam happy. But damn, when I watched the way Skye looked at Alex, it made me regret my decision all over again.

Sebastian walked over to me and sat down on the ground, looking for what I was staring at. 

“Ah,” he stated knowingly. I had told him about Skye and how I felt a while ago. Nothing crazy, I just thought she was super pretty and I was interested in getting to know her. The only reason I’m so fuckin _pissed_ about everything is because it had to be Alex who swept in. Anyone else would’ve been fine, but it was _Alex_. 

“Fireworks are gonna start soon, why don’t you ask her to join us all?” Sebastian suggested, nudging me with his elbow. I sighed. 

“Should I?” I must’ve looked like a lost puppy, because he laughed at me. I pouted, burrowing my chin in my hands. 

“Yes, you should. Best view is from the docks in my opinion, and I have a joint we can all split down there. Willy’s not there to patronize us about it anyways. I think if we all leave right after the fireworks end we can get away with it.”

“Well my friend,” I began, placing my hand on his shoulder. “You drive a real hard bargain.”

SKYE’S POV:

I drank another pint after my conversation with Alex, and I was feeling good. Again, not _bad_ drunk, but a giddy drunk. I had eaten a decent meal which sobered me up a bit, but not completely. If it wasn’t for Sam starting a conversation with me I think I would’ve just kept eating. Gus was an _amazing_ chef, and I definitely understood the hype now. 

Sam talked to me about going down to the beach to watch the fireworks with Sebastian and Abigail, and I figured I would tag along for the ride. 

The four of us began our walk down to the docks, my plants forgotten in Pierre's busy hands. Abigail giggled and snuggled into Sebastian as he walked cooly with his hands in his pockets telling some quiet jokes for her ears only. They were so in love with each other, I don’t know why they weren’t dating. Sam on the other hand walked silently behind them, not to mention a little nervously. I slowed my walk and let the goth squad walk ahead so I could be beside him. 

“You alright?” I whispered. He looked up at me and smiled bashfully. It was dark out, but I could still see the life in his eyes. 

“Yeah, just a little drunk. Seb’s got a joint and I guess I’m a little nervous about it. Not that I don’t enjoy it,” he raised his hands reassuringly. “My mom’s just not a big fan, especially with Vincent being so young ‘n all. She’s threatened to take my guitar away before so I have to be _super_ careful now.” 

“Jeez, at least we’ll be outside so most of the smell will be gone,” I reassured him. He nodded his head and with that, we continued down the road and across the bridge to the beach. I haven’t smoked pot in a while; I think the last time was with my old boyfriend in a dirty club back in the city. The company was bad so the high was bad, but I wasn't nervous about that happening again. When you have company as good as this trio, you don't really have to worry about being scrutinized. 

We all sat at the end of the dock in a circle. I took my boots off and let my feet dip into the cool water beneath me. It rippled calmly, and I smiled. The deep blue sea was something that scared me, but calmed me at the same time. Maybe I loved the way the moon and the sea were in love, constantly pulling and pushing against each other. The kind of romance that literally lasts forever. 

Sebastian took the joint from behind his ear that was carefully hidden by his dark fringe, clicked his lighter open and lit the end of it. He took a long pull, eyebrows tugged together in concentration, and let out a big cloud. Abigail stole it from between his finger tips, and she took two small hits back to back before letting it go. She passed it on to Sam and then laid back on the dock with Sebastian, looking at the stars together. Sam’s nostrils flared as he took a hit and released it through his nose. He held it in his hands for a moment before passing it to me. He looked at me through his hooded eyes, and it made me self conscious for some reason. It felt like he was looking straight into my soul, and I was suddenly on autopilot when I took a hit. I choked slightly and held in my cough until my eyes watered. 

“We don’t judge here,” Sam reassured, noticing my chest halt. He scooted closer to me and patted my back a bit to get me to cough, and I sputtered and drooled onto my overalls. I quickly wiped it away with my sleeve, and felt the change of chemicals in my brain take place. 

“Let it out!” Abigail cheered from behind me. I let out a giggle, the extremely specific one that comes with the territory of being high. I felt weird, but good. I felt safe here with these people, my friends. Within three rotations, the joint was gone right in time for the first firework to go off.

The boom of the first one caused Abigail to let out a scream that segued into a laugh. We all laid down in the shape of a star, eyes on the sky and brains in the gutter. One of us would start laughing, and the rest of us joined in creating a beautiful melody that echoed through the night. It was the best kind of laughter that made us all cry and wheeze. Sometimes the only way we knew someone else was laughing was because we could hear one of us slap the deck beneath us and harsh wheezes. Our relationship with the fireworks were like the ocean and the moon. The colors erupting from the sky were writing us love letters and we squealed in delight at it's words. Listening to my friends' laughter filled me with a happiness I haven't felt in years. The way Abigail cackled wasn't a surprise. Sebastian's voice cracked every now and then as he curled his legs up into his body to try and ease the echo of his laugh; it was the most emotion I've ever seen from him. It convinced me that he was human, something that was hard to do if you're anything like Sebastian. And Sam's laugh was rhythmic, and steady, and his deep inhales for breath only made his laugh more contagious.

I regretted the day when it began, but I couldn’t help but love it now that I'm here. 

The fireworks eventually came to an end, and we all sat up to look at each other which just caused another wave of laughter. After a moment we all sighed and stood up ready to go our separate ways. We all walked towards town in silent bliss, and we came to a stop at the end of the bridge connected to the beach.  
“I’m gonna walk Abby home, ‘night you two,” Sebastian waved with a cigarette between his smiling lips. We bid a farewell to our friends and made the walk towards Sam’s house. We came to a stop in front of the old blue house. Sam flung his window open a little too loudly and we both looked at each other with wide eyes before going into a silent laughing fit again. He had to kneel down on the ground to keep himself quiet, and tears were leaping to my eyes as I attempted to do the same. The muscles in my stomach were starting to ache, and I knew Sam was in the same position.

This was a nice change of pace from our usual seesaw interaction. We had finally found a balance, even if we were both inebriated. He finally composed himself and snuck inside his room, resting his arms and head on the windowsill. 

“See you tomorrow?” he slurred, a grin on his face. 

“Maybe… probably,” I laughed.

“Maybe probably? Make up your mind Skye,” he joked, standing up straight to close the window. 

“Make up your mind about getting your jacket back!” I called out as I walked down the road back to the farm. 

There was a slight pause on his end, and I almost stopped to see if he was still there until he replied,

“Maybe! Probably!!” he joked, before his window finally closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i loved writing this chapter so much.


	12. the beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'd like to give a HUGE shout out to Zelan_s who's currently in the midst of writing a Sam fanfic called "Doomed From The Start". It's taking a direction I have never seen anyone take with Sam before, and it's super well written. I plead all of you to read it and her other fic, "Beautiful Crush" which is a Sebastian story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> take a shot every time i say "sorry for not updating in a while!!"

I busied myself with watering my indoor plants until it was time to leave. A date with Alex made my stomach stir, and it was too early to tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing. So yeah, I overwatered my plants. 

The day after the Flower Dance I had scurried into Pierre’s with a thousand apologies while he tsked away, my forgotten plants sitting on his counter. He kept them watered; they looked exactly like they did the day I picked them out. 

“I’m so sorry I forgot about them! I was hanging out with- your daughter actually!” 

Persuading Pierre into forgiving me was a harder task than I thought. It was foolish of me to think of it. Hell, Abigail was his daughter. 

He slid them towards me with a face that said, "C'mon, really?" It was like he was my own father. 

Things were starting to heat up in the valley. Girls were in flowy sundresses, ice cream was melting around sticky fingers, and the beach was becoming more populated. Penny, the girl who danced with Sam, taught Vincent and Jas a few times a week — they’re able to learn outside the library now instead of being cooped up inside all day. While a lot of my spring crops were taking a harsh hit, I had managed to sell a lot of them before they all died and used the money to buy more summery crops. Sunflowers, melons, tomatoes — you name it and they were on my farm. It was a huge improvement from the beginning of spring when I only had a few parsnips.

I checked my phone to see that it was nearly 5 pm. Alex gets out of work at 5, and we had a melty-ice cream beach date to get to. 

“Lookin’ good today farmer,” he smiled, closing the mini umbrella that shaded him from his 12 to 5 job.   
“So do you Mr. Creamy,” I mocked him, eyeing his apron with mild chocolate stains on them. His eyebrows cocked up, and I realized where I made my mistake. 

“Creamy? I'm pretty sure _you're_ the one who said this was a friendly date.”

“I-um, you know, the ice cream? On your apron?” I tried to make my point, but failed miserably as his look only became magnified with his confident ear to ear grin. There was no use being that embarrassed, it was _Alex_ for crying out loud, but if looks could take your virginity, this would be the one. 

“Vanilla or chocolate?” He finally cut me some slack and opened the chilled mini freezer door. 

“Vanilla, and some rainbow sprinkles if you have any.”

He pulled out two vanilla parfaits and a pair of small cups with rainbow sprinkles to go with them. 

“Vanilla for the lady,” he handed me my request after sliding the apron over his head. It revealed his tanned stomach, and I had to force myself to be overly interested in the parfait. I had a feeling I'd be doing a lot of that while we were together.

Spending time with him wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be after the whole fiasco at the Flower Dance. The beach was nearly empty, apart from Shane playing with Jas in the water. Seeing the way he smiled at her in a paternal sort of way was heartwarming; if there was anything that would bring a smile to that man’s face it was her and a pint of beer.

Alex and I sat on some old, mildly hole-y beach towels he grabbed from his house — must’ve been his grandparent’s old supplies — and ate away at our rainbow sprinkled parfaits. We made some small talk about life before the valley. One thing we bonded over was our non-present fathers, but I didn’t push the conversation after seeing the malice in his eyes. 

We stayed long after Shane and Jas left, watching the sunset with my head on his shoulder. It was at the perfect angle: it was still bright but not bright enough to make you squint your eyes. Yellow faded into orange and bled the sky with pinks and purples. It’s funny how pollution made something so beautiful. Of course it wasn’t due to Pelican Town — it probably came in from Zuzu City — but it wasn’t enough to keep the stars out of the sky. 

SAM’S POV:

“C’mon Vince, sun’s about to set. How are you going to make a sandcastle in the dark?” I pleaded with my brother, who was taking an exaggeratedly long time to finish tying his shoes. 

“Mom says I gotta tie my shoes properly or else I can trip and fall. And _die_!” Oh my _Yoba_ was this kid getting annoying. Don’t get me wrong, I love my brother with all I’ve got, but I think as time has gone on I’ve realized he’s a little too much like me and not in the friend-of-all and super cool way, but in the super-sarcastic-nobody-tells-me-what-to-do way. 

I push Vincent lightly on my skateboard as I see the sun setting over the full trees. He’s pretty much a pro at making sandcastles, so he should be done before dark. 

“Ready for the bridge?” I ask him, holding his sides carefully. 

“I’ve never been so ready for anything in my whole life!!” I could feel him buzzing with energy. It made me a little nervous, but I knew some scrapes and cuts are nothing to this kid. I give him a push over the cobblestone, and his screams as he rolls over the uneven stones bounce off the trees, earning us a glare from Lewis who’s tending to his small garden. I smile sheepishly and raise my shoulders, mouthing a quick “sorry” before lifting Vincent off the board and walking onto the sand.

There’s a few things I never get tired of here in the valley. Don't get me wrong, I get tired of a lot of things, like Lewis chewing me out every time he sees a skateboard and _trust_ me when I say I don’t even have to be on it for him to hate it. I’m also tired of the same old houses, the same 20 people, and the same small talk everyone makes year round. What I’m not tired of is making music with Sebastian and Abigail, and seeing this sunset. Call me cheesy all you want, but you can’t disagree with me. It’s the same sun rising and setting every single day forever and always, but somehow it manages to decorate the sky differently every time. 

Vincent was about to run off to make his base until I heard a laugh. I placed an arm over him, like we had just gotten into a car crash. That laugh was suspiciously familiar. A laugh that I heard singing to the fireworks at the end of the Flower Dance.

I froze in my tracks and scanned the beach, which didn’t take long since the only occupants were _her_ and _him_ . Her head was on his shoulder, and his arm was slumped so _casually_ around her tiny frame. It also didn’t take long for me to realize that his comically large varsity jacket was keeping her warm. Not my tattered Joja jacket that she had loosely promised to stitch patches on. 

“Vincent, I actually think we should come back tomorrow,” I stated calmly, ushering him back home. There was no space for compromise at that moment. I ignored his exasperated sighs and whys as I tried to get it out of my head. 

Things like this usually don’t tick me off. I’m Sam, I’m super chill, and nothing bothers me. But Skye being with Alex bothered me because, well, it was Alex. 

So I went home, and pretended to be super chill. Like nothing bothered me. 


	13. the reading

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is completely in sam's pov!

SAM’S POV

It’s been a week since I saw Skye and Alex at the beach together. It’s been two weeks since we had the night of our lives at the beach during the Flower Dance. It’s been about a month since she’s had my jacket. 

I’m not complaining — it’s summer and I don’t really need it — but let me tell you something. When I’m mopping those floors at JojaMart, it’s fucking _cold,_ especially since I'm usually cleaning some mess by the frozen aisles. But I’d hate to ask Morris for a new jacket, especially since he'd be all like, “It’S cOmInG oUt Of YoUr PaYcHeCk!!!”. Screw that, old man.

So there I was, slumping around Sebastian’s room, jacket-less. 

He passed me his dirty, overused bong, but it didn’t look so bad at the moment. 

“Go nuts, but I’m saving a bowl for Abby when she gets here,” Sebastian croaked, eyes hooded and mildly focused on whatever freelance job he was working on at the moment. I slowly exhaled, preparing my lungs for impact, and sparked the bowl. I was so focused on seeing all of the green turn to ashes, I hadn’t realized I ripped the whole bowl. I took another inhale away from the bong, chest puffed out, and coughed it all out. Sebastian shook his head and rubbed his temples. “Yoba you are _so_ lucky my mom and Demetrius are out right now.” 

I tried to sputter out an “I’m sorry,” but I had coughed myself into oblivion, the void. 

_Woah_. 

I haven’t felt like this in a while. Bong hits were intense. 

…

Sebastian has so many posters. And like, pictures. _Aren’t those the same thing?_ Why does he have a couch in here? He already has a bed to sleep in. He doesn't even use it unless me and Abigail were here.

…

Oh my _Yoba_. 

He doesn't use it because that couch was for his two very best friends … That couch was for _us_ . Wow… he loves his friends so much even if he doesn’t show it all the time….he literally got a couch for us so we wouldn't have to sit on the floor. I peered over at Sebastian and felt my eyes prickle with tears. I felt it in my soul, this guy was my best mate for life no matter what man.

Speaking of Seb, his typing was doing something to me. It was rattling my bones. Like each key on the light-up board was a different bone. Makin' em’ _dance_. The _bone_ _dance_. 

“Sam?”

I was briefly pulled from my frazzled train of thought for less than a second before my eyes settled on Abigail. 

“Oh.. hey Abbbbigail,” I drew out the “b”, not knowing if I should call her a nickname or not in Sebastian’s presence. He gets wicked territorial. He knows I’m interested in Skye bu-

_SKYE_

Gee, why did she have to be so into Alex? She didn't even give me a chance... I mean I did knock her over with my skateboard. But I'm cute, right? Doesn't my boyish charm make up for my flaws??

I pulled out my phone and opened the camera app. Okay, I look a little weird right now. Kinda like an alien. But I'm cute regularly?? I hope???

…

Man, maybe _we're_ the aliens. 

~

After about an hour, my brain came to a sludgy halt. I had sunken into Sebastian’s friendship couch and Abigail had pulled out some card game. 

“How do you play?” I asked, eyes closed and head thrown back on the back of the couch. 

That earned a laugh from her. 

“It’s not a _game_ , Sam. It’s the universe. These are tarot cards.” 

“Pfft,” I exhaled. “Have fun with that.”

“I’m actually doing a reading for you, so you might want to try and gather all your remaining brain cells and pay attention.”

With that statement, I felt a wave of something shoot through my body but didn’t show it physically. Okay, so maybe I had some faith in tarot readings, even though I’d never admit to it out loud. Something in me just had hope that they were true. 

“Alright, hit me with it.”

She began to shuffle the cards. 

“Alright, the first one to jump out is who you are and what role you play in your next relationship.” She shuffled for about ten seconds, muttering to herself until one came out face down. She placed it to my left on the table. 

“Can I look yet,” I pondered out loud, leaning over to flip it over until she smacked my hand, almost offendedly. 

“Absolutely not! You have to wait, you can’t just _interrupt_ the universe giving you your answers.”

I raised my hands defensively but leaned back on the couch, letting her do her thing. She cleared her throat. 

“Okay, the second card is what role your _lover_ plays.”

I rolled my eyes a little too hard at that one. 

“My lover? If that card doesn’t say she produces some tasty fuckin’ licks then it’s _wrong_.”

Abigail gave me a stern look but continued to shuffle. 

“Sam, not everything in life is about your guitar. Let some romance into your life.” And with that, the second card jumped out. The three of us all stared silently at the card. I had to admit, the timing was a little spooky. We all definitely felt the air shift in the room after that last one; Abigail sat up straighter than before to shuffle one last time. 

“The third card,” she said, shuffling vigorously, “is the dynamic of the relationship between the two of you.” 

She shuffled, and shuffled, and shuffled. It felt like forever, but maybe it was because I was nervous about what the universe had in store for me. One finally fell out, and it was placed between the two other cards. “Alright.”

I became really tense all of a sudden. She placed the rest of the deck down and spread her fingers on the table before the cards. She flipped the card that was supposed to be me and immediately laughed. 

“Oh my Yoba this is _so_ you, wow.” It was… the fool. 

“I don’t need a card to tell me I’m an idiot,” I muttered, suddenly uncomfortable. Abigail immediately tried to stop me. 

“No, this isn’t a bad thing. It’s actually kinda cute. The fool card portrays an entertainer, someone who’s innocent, adventurous…,” she slowly waved her hands in the air, trying to get a feel for it. “But in love, it means that you’re about to start a new relationship with someone. Could be expected or unexpected. So what I’m getting at is, you’re going to be in a relationship soon, and you’re going to be a good guy, we’ll figure out how good the relationship’s gonna be in a hot minute…”

She flips over the card all the way on the right, and her eyebrows raise. 

“The Empress is someone who’s very nurturing, supportive, and kind of takes on a motherly role. Very nature oriented…” she pauses and we look at each other; I know we're thinking the same thing. Could that be Skye?

She flips over the card in the middle, and the hope from her eyes fall. It’s the lovers.

“Aren’t the lovers good Abby?” Sebastian spoke up, seeing her demeanor change. Sebastian was such a simp he was learning tarot for her? Well, then again, here I am waiting with an eager heart. I guess I'm just a simp for the universe. 

“They usually are… but not when they’re reversed.” She looks at me hesitantly and then back at the card. “So the lovers card upright,” she flipped it the other way around, “is a beautiful thing. It’s balanced, loving, super supportive. But when reversed...” she flipped it back to its original place, “it’s cold and dark after that honeymoon phase — or possibly even during itn. Someone’s detached and it's imbalanced.” 

We all sit in silence with Abigail’s hand gently placed over the card, trying to find some good in the situation or anything else to say. But there wasn’t. 

“Alright, it’s getting late. Gotta head home and make sure Vince isn’t driving mom too crazy, right?” I said, standing up a little too quickly and grabbing my house keys off the table. Abigail looked at me in a pleading way.

“Sam…” 

“Nah, it’s cool. I told you, my number one babe is my guitar,” I winked, waved goodbye to them both, and shut the door to Sebastian’s room. I didn’t stop walking until I got back to my house and into the safety of my room. I stared outside my window. The same window I spoke to Skye through two weeks ago. I knew Abby would freak if I were to question the universe, but I despised it right now. Sure, I'm a rockstar, but that doesn't mean I don't want a stable relationship. I cracked open the window to hear the waves from the beach I saw her at one week ago, and then I buried myself in the same sheets I tucked her into only a month ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi ok i know this is real sad right now but i promise it'll get happy again


	14. the luau

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! how is everyone doing? i'd like to talk about another sam fic i started reading called "How to Grow a Rose" by sscallalily. they're three chapters in but i'm already hooked. all i'll say is that they meet somewhere steamy ;), if you have time i highly recommend it!

Today was the day. The people around town have been _raving_ about the Luau; it’s a summer festivity that has people going crazy for summer decorations and relaxing music. The only one who seemed like they weren't relaxing was Lewis. The Governor was coming to town, a once a year occurrence that he seemed to stress over a _lot_ for some reason.

Alex told me to dress for the occasion, and I wasn’t totally sure what he meant by that until he dug through my closet and pulled out an old bikini and sunhat. I’m not crazy about going in only a bikini, mostly because of all the older folks that live here. They would’ve definitely had a few things to say if that was the case, so I brought a light summer kimono to throw over my shoulders and some jean shorts to cover up my bottom. While Alex said I'd be just fine with only the bathing suit, I concurred. 

Upon arriving at the beach, I spotted the Governor immediately. He was dressed in a purple tuxedo with a top hat to match ( _isn’t he sweltering in that thing??)_ , and decided to introduce myself, since Lewis was already showing signs of nervous pit stains through his light-orange button up. 

“Hi! I don’t think we’ve met, my name’s Skye. I run the old farm right over-”

“OHHH!” his small eyes nearly bulged out of his head. “You run that farm now. I knew your grandfather; he brought the _best_ things to the potluck. Usually wine!” He let out a hardy laugh, looking directly at Lewis to let him know he should be laughing too. Lewis let out a breathy laugh with a raise of his eyebrows as if to say, “I remember that, now please stop!"

“What did you bring to the potluck Skye?” Lewis cleared his throat and looked at me with pleading eyes so I could be the one to carry the conversation. 

My eyes widened. I was once again not included in crucial information for a town event. 

“It’s a surprise!” I squeaked and hoped my smile was enough to hide it. The Governor gave a happy “whoop!”.

“Well I’m sure it’ll be great, whatever you put in there! You got some big shoes to fill.” He gave me a look, almost like a warning. It was just a soup, right? I gave him a nervous laugh in response. 

“Haha, yeah. Well, it was nice talking to you!” I waved and began to walk away before I had to burn under his stare any longer. I found my favorite trio near the docks, bobbing their heads to something that resembled stereotypical Jamaican music. 

“ _Guys_ ,” I panted. The three of them looked up and smiled. “We have to put something in that big pot over there? I didn’t know! I didn’t bring anything.” I rubbed my temples, and Abigail and Sebastian looked over at Sam. “What?”

“Well, I have an extra bottle of blackberry wine. I was gonna drink it, but if you want some points with the big guy you can take it.” He slumped his bag off his shoulder to unzip it and reveal the wine.

“That would be perfect, Sam,” I sighed in relief. “Thank you so much, I owe you-”

“Hey farmer.” Alex walked up, _shirtless_ , with a gridball in hand. “What’s the problem?”

“Oh!” I quickly covered myself a bit with my kimono but then remembered who I was talking to and instead went for a casual hands on the hips stance. “I, um. It’s _so_ dumb. I didn’t know we had to bring anything for the potluck. But Sam has some wine, so I think it’ll be pretty good?” I looked to the others for reassurance. Sebastian was the only one to respond — a thumbs up and a nod of his head. “Yep. So I’m all set.” Alex puffed and rolled his eyes. 

“Go halfsies on this corn with me. Can’t go wrong with it, who doesn’t like corn?” 

Sam scowled.

“The Governor actually, so, yeah, she’s probably better off with the wine,” he retorted. Alex looked at him in pained surprise. He took a few steps toward him, and while Sam was taller, Alex had more muscle. My heart leapt into my throat, and my body suddenly ran cold. Even Sebastian grabbed Abigail by the arm so she could stand behind him but still see what was going on. 

"What? We gotta problem?" Alex asked. Sam stood silently, but it looked like he had a lot to say. He was clearly biting his tongue, and I couldn't blame him after everything he's been through. He's face to face with the man who whisked his blonde fling away.

They stood there, staring at each other for what felt like an hour. There were a few townsfolk starting to stare, so I stepped in between them and faced Alex. 

“Hey, it’s _ok_ ,” I whispered, placing my hands on his chest. His bare, beautiful, puffed out chest. “Save the corn for yourself, really. Besides, my grandfather’s specialty was wine, so I think it’d do him some justice if I did the same.”

Alex’s eyes had softened when he looked down at me, but when he looked back at Sam again they had returned to annoyance. 

“Fine. I’ll see you later,” he muttered, breaking away so he could walk off. 

“Alex…” 

He was gone. 

“That was _so_ weird,” Abigail whispered, coming out from behind Sebastian. They all mumbled amongst themselves, but I couldn’t focus. Was Alex really that mad at me for taking the wine from Sam? Yoba, I should probably talk to him about it. I can’t handle people yelling at me though, and I _really_ don’t want to cry in front of everyone. I began to pick at the skin on my thumb, and I didn’t hear everyone go quiet until Abigail said my name. “Skye? Are you alright?” she asked. Sam looked like he felt bad; he was staring at me intently with his hands buried in his pockets . Even Sebastian had a half frown on his face. 

“Um…” I trailed off and glanced at Alex, who to my sorrow, was talking very closely with Haley. The three of them followed my stare and looked back at me with pity. “Sam. You said you had an _extra_ bottle of wine, right? As in more than one?” I asked, hoping he’d get the hint. He almost jumped at the chance to get his bag off the sandy ground to open it. 

“Yeah, I don’t think the Governor's gonna care if it was just _one_ bottle of wine in there.”

And so we emptied the bottle of wine and sat in a circle on the hot sand. I tried so hard to focus on what Sebastian and Sam were bickering about, but my mind always went back to Alex. Alex getting a little too close to Haley. Alex eating up her flirtatious smile. Alex letting her touch his bare, toned arm. I finished off the last of my glass of wine, took the one from Sam’s bag, and walked off towards Marnie who had gone red in the face from continuously stirring the concoction. 

“Mind if I pour this in?” I asked, feeling slightly tipsy. 

“Well sure thing! That’s a good one you got there, you’d make your grandpa real proud,” she said.

“Were you guys friends?” I regretfully asked. She nodded her head with her eyes closed, almost a little too dramatically for me at the moment. I had enough drama going on in my life at the moment. 

“Me, him, and Lewis. We’d always go to the Saloon on Friday nights and catch up. He was a great guy, and I’m so glad a _devoted_ ,” she clapped my shoulder, “ _farmer_ like yourself has taken his place.” I chuckled awkwardly and began pouring the wine into the bowl.

“Thanks so much, I appreciate it.” I said. I really wasn’t good with too much praise; it just felt wrong. As if most of the time I didn’t deserve it, which probably just stems from not caring too much in school but still getting decent grades. 

I sat back down with Sam, Sebastian, and Abigail after waving a goodbye to Marnie. Soon after that, Lewis got everyone’s attention with the harsh feedback of his microphone. 

“Sorry folks! Sorry…” he hastily tried to fix the problem while the Governor gave him a questioning look. “Thank you all for gathering today! I’m excited to announce that our Governor is here.” he paused so we could all clap. The man waved his hand and bowed his head. “I’m also excited to see that everyone’s having a good time. This summer has been especially hot, but the refreshments seem to be keeping everyone cool.” A cheer from Pam made everyone laugh. “Now, I’d like to begin the taste testing of the soup! We will continue to stick with tradition and have our very own Governor take the first sip.” He handed the mic to the Governor who slowly made his way over to the bowl. Marnie gave him a spoon which he filled up with a little bit of everything. He gave a loud slurp, and his eyes lit up in delight. 

“Ah… this is a very pleasant soup! The produce from this valley never disappoints,” he said, giving me a wink. I gave him a grateful smile in return.

We all got bowls of soup, which still baffled me because who eats hot soup in the middle of summer?

We were sitting back in our usual spot, when a question came to mind.

“Hey Sam?” He looked up at me mid slurp and nodded his head, telling me to go on with my question. “How did you know what would be good? Like the wine and not the corn.”

He smirked a bit and gave Sebastian a side eye, and he had to return it. 

“Sam put anchovies in the soup one year — the big guy _hated_ it. He looked like he was going to be sick,” Sebastian elbowed Sam in his side. 

“Lewis gave me a shit ton of community service hours after that. He also gave me a list of what the Governor likes and what he doesn’t like, so I basically have to stick to this list or else I get more hours added onto my name,” he shook his head. I slapped my hand over my mouth. 

“No way!”

I spent the next half hour being filled in on Sam’s antics throughout the years before they all decided to call it a day. Sam lingered behind, slowly putting things back into his bag.

“Do you want a walk home?” he asked nonchalantly. 

“Um…” I looked around, my eyes landing on Alex who was now alone and sitting by the water. “I think I’ll be alright. I’m gonna try and patch things up with Alex,” I pointed my thumb in his direction. He suddenly began packing at a faster pace. 

“Alright.” He stood up and held both straps securely on his chest. “See you around then,” he said as he walked away.

Being friends with people that hated each other was _difficult_. 

I’ll have to text him later to make sure he’s alright, but for now, I have to talk to Alex.

Most of the town had left, save for Pam and Gus who were having a laughing fit over something that had happened at the Saloon last Friday. 

As I approached him, he looked up at me and sighed. I stopped a few feet away from him until he patted the sand to his right, asking me to take a seat. I hesitantly took it, and we both stared out at the ocean in silence. 

“You looked great today,” he broke the silence. I smiled bashfully.

“Thanks. So did you.”

“Yeah, I know. What can I say?” he jokingly shrugged, and I took the opportunity to laugh.

We settled back into watching the sun set, much like our first date. 

“Look… I’m sorry about what happened earlier. I didn’t realize it’d make you upset,” I said softly, leaning my head on my arm and looking at him. 

“It’s cool. I uh…” he paused to think about his words, “I get a bit territorial sometimes. Some sorta masculinity thing I guess.” He looked back at me. “I’m sorry for getting in your friend’s face,” he said with a small laugh. 

“He’s still a little mad, but I’m sure he’ll get over it,” I hoped. Alex sighed and put his arm around me, so I scooted closer to him so I could lean my head on his shoulder. 

“Can I ask you something?” I whispered. 

“Sure.”

“Are you _sure_ you and Haley aren’t a thing?” 

There was a moment of silence before he laughed. 

“She wishes. No, we aren’t a thing. She’s just touchy. We’ve been friends for so long that I’m used to it, but if it bothers you I can tell her to back off.”

“She told me a while ago that you guys um… hookup pretty often.”

He laughed even harder. 

“Oh Yoba, of course she did. That's a load of _crap_. She was just scared of you for sure. ”

My eyes widened. 

“Scared of _me_?”

“Yeah, but can you blame her?” he asked, our faces close enough to feel his breath on my skin. “You’re beautiful Skye.”

My heart fluttered, and all I could do was look at him. He looked between my eyes and my mouth.

And then he leaned in. 

Warmth filled my body and tingled my face as he gently pressed his lips against mine. He leaned back, barely a centimeter. A silent, hesitant question. I barely nodded my head before he eagerly went back in for more. I followed his lead without even thinking, listening to the crashing waves and the sound of our lips. I put a shaky hand on his chest and in response he tightened his hold around my shoulders reassuringly and brought his other hand up to cup my burning face. His lips were invigorating and tasted like salt and wine.

Before we could get too carried away, he planted one last firm kiss on me and pulled away. He looked down at me with a breathy smile while I had to bite my lip to try and hide mine. It was over _way_ too soon. He dropped his hand from my face and placed it by his side, but his arm around me stayed put. He cleared his throat.

"You know," he shyly began, "my birthday's coming up in a couple days. The 13th, actually. Would you want to go out to dinner with me? I can reserve the table in the back of the Saloon." I beamed. 

"Really?" he nodded his head. "I'd love to."

He walked me home that night, and he kissed me again before he left.

And because I was so filled with glee, the text to Sam was forgotten. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how are you guys liking this story so far? is there anything i should do differently? pls leave a comment i really appreciate them!!


	15. dinner with alex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! sorry it's been a couple weeks. i try and upload every wednesday but things got real stressful last week.

The cold summer breeze chilled my bare arms on my walk to the Saloon. I had to rub away my goosebumps, and I cursed myself for not bringing a cardigan. I was nervous for my date with Alex, but I wasn’t sure why. I had spent half the summer with him yet I couldn’t muster up enough courage to be completely nerve free for his birthday dinner. 

Luckily once I stepped inside the Saloon, I started to warm up by the licks of the fire. Alex was waiting for me by the bar with Gus, but he seemed like he was deep in conversation, so I decided to see if my favorite trio was there like they were every Saturday. 

And there they were, right on schedule. Sam was losing to Sebastian at pool, Abigail was tiredly cheering for the goth on the couch. I sneaked a peak over at Alex, who was still talking with Gus, and decided I had a few minutes to say hi. 

My entrance was a bit dramatic since I was wearing heels and an a-line dress — it caused Sam to miss the cue ball entirely. 

“Damn Skye! You clean up good!!” Abigail sat up on the couch with more life than before. I took a seat next to her and playfully swatted her. 

“This old thing?' I began, hovering my hand above my collarbone like we were two super posh, upper-middle class women, "I haven’t worn this in _forever_. But, tonight’s Alex’s birthday so I had to dress for the occasion,” I beamed, smoothing out the invisible wrinkles. Had I gone over this dress a million times with an iron? Yes. But what else was I supposed to do with my hands when someone complimented my outfit?

“Yeah. You look great Skye,” Sam said, propping his head on his hand that balanced on the vertical pool stick. 

He gave me a long once over with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. The way he drank me in made me blush. It was like the same night I drank too much, but _he_ drank a lot too. It was probably just the alcohol that made him do that, and the heat of the fireplace that made my cheeks heat up.

“Thank you, Sam,” I said sincerely. Things had been weird between us since the Luau. He stormed off so suddenly after I had told him I’d be staying behind with Alex, but it had to be because of their special circumstances. Plus, I don’t believe Alex knew he was helping Haley cheat. Haley’s a liar, Alex isn’t. I can’t just tell Sam that though, or else I’d blow Abigail’s cover and I don’t want to start a fight between the two of them. 

Suddenly, the Saloon door opened and to everyone's surprise, Penny walked in. She meekly looked around until she met Sam’s eyes, and she shyly waved. 

“My girl? At the Saloon?! You’re better than this place Penny, get outta here,” Pam grumbled from her barstool on the opposite end of the Saloon. 

She was beautiful even out of her dance dress. Mature, but sweet looking. It made me feel...

Insecure. 

“I’ll be fine, Mom. I’m just going to hangout with Sam and his friends for a little while,” she said back to Pam. I’ve never seen her at the Saloon before, but I guess Sam invited her. It was strange, because I had never seen her here the many times we'd all hung out here. Had something shifted between the two of them? I'll admit, it made me a bit scared. With Abigail and Sebastian being close to exclusive and Sam introducing Penny into the group, they'd slowly forget all about me. 

Penny turned back to the group which caught me out of my train of thought.

"She can be so embarrassing sometimes, I'm sorry about that everyone."

"Ain't no thang, Penny. Nothing we haven't seen before," Sam said with a more casual demeanor than just moments before. 

He was so casual and jovial with her. Something I wished he could be with me. 

That settles it. I'm squashing whatever beef him and Alex had _tonight_. It's a bit rude of me to do so during Alex's birthday dinner, but I couldn't take it anymore. I'd never be in a proper friend group until this was settled. 

At that moment, I heard a pair of dress shoes step across the old wooden floor.

“Hey Skye, you ready to eat?” Alex smiled.

“Yes!” I said a little too enthusiastically. I turned back to the foursome, “See you guys later?” They all said their goodbyes. I could hear them all chatting as Alex and I made our way to the back of the Saloon. It gave me a hot case of FOMO, which angered me. Do I really want to hang out with my friends more than I want to celebrate Alex's birthday? I had to mentally slap myself to stop being so selfish as Alex pulled a chair out for me.

"Thank you good sir," I smiled cheesily as he took the seat opposite of me.

The room was quaint — we were sat at the only table. A candle was lit in between the two of us.

“This is romantic,” he teased. 

“Super. It's so cool that Gus let you have this room.” I commented.

"Oh, that's not all Gus did."

At that moment Gus opened the door with a violin and my jaw dropped. 

"You play violin?" I asked. He gave us a full bellied laugh. 

"Oh do I play violin."

And he did. He played a short song. It was beautiful but sad. Alex and I watched him play quietly, none of us daring to move. Gus's eyes were closed, and his face was calm but focused. He bowed when he finished and we both clapped. 

"Here are your menus for tonight. I'll give you both a few minutes to decide on what to eat." He walked out the door and closed it behind him, giving us some privacy.

"Alex I must say, I'm impressed. You're pulling out all the stops tonight."

"Hey, what can I say. Anything for my favorite girl."

That made me feel sad, which it shouldn't have. It was _his_ birthday, not mine. Yet here he was treating me to dinner and a show. It hurt my heart to think of what he'd go through for my actual birthday. 

~

After some light talking, we had our meals and had settled into a mellow energy. The two bottles of red wine definitely played their part in making that happen. 

“This is a lot nicer than I thought it'd be. I’ve never dined here before, believe it or not,” Alex admitted, crossing his arms on the table so he could lean towards me. I raised my eyebrows at him. 

“Not even with Haley?” 

Shit. I shouldn't have said that. _Curse_ this wine.

He rolled his eyes, but gave in with a laugh.

“No, not even with Haley.”

We sat in silence. I could ask him about Sam, but I just asked him about Haley. I bit my lip and thought hard. 

"What's on your mind baby?"

 _Baby_. Well that was a pet name I could get behind. I shamefully looked down and smiled.

"Umm..." I whispered. 

"Was the nickname too much? I could call you something different," he nervously laughed. 

If he's being this kind, maybe he'll understand me asking about Sam. I took a deep breath.

"No, it's not that. I actually really liked that."

"Well that's good to know," he said with a wink.

I cleared my throat.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, shoot.”

“Is there a reason you and Sam don’t like each other?” 

He frowned, and then sighed. Yeah, I shouldn't have asked. His tongue darted out to lick his lips. They looked so irresistible, but I had ruined my chances at this point. 

“Well, I don’t really have too much of an issue with the guy, but probably because of Haley. They were dating for a while, but then she told me that he dumped her and then _we_ dated for a while. Actually, I wouldn’t call what we had a relationship. More of a situation-ship.”

I had to bite my tongue. Haley told Alex that _Sam_ broke up with _her??_ And then hooked up with Alex? Oh my Yoba I needed to tell Abigail. 

What was wrong with me? It's Alex's birthday. I didn't even give him a gift — I had tried offering to pay for dinner but he wouldn't allow it. Now I'm making him tell me everything about his past relationship with Haley. 

I sighed. I guess if we were supposed to be in a relationship, all of the cards were going to be on the table. This was the only way I could exist in peace. I wouldn't have to worry about Sam and Alex getting into a macho-man contest every time they saw each other.

“I guess Sam’s still hung up over Haley," Alex continued after soaking in my silence, "Which doesn’t make much sense, I mean he broke up with her after all.”

He took a sip of his wine, and I took a gulp of mine. It was so hard not to say anything, so I continued to stay silent. I took another swig from my glass so try and stop my leg from bouncing under the table. He has _no_ idea about what really happened. 

“Gotcha,” I said, cursing myself for starting this incredibly hard conversation. “I was just curious. Every time you guys talk it turns a little ugly.”

“What can I do, ya know? It’s not my fault they broke up.”

_Good lord._

~

After our date that I sneakily paid for, I kissed Alex goodbye and wished him another Happy Birthday. He walked out the Saloon and I stayed behind to go back to the pool room. Abigail and Sebastian were sitting side by side at their booth with their phones in hand. He was showing her something on his screen to which she had to cover her mouth to hold in a snort. I made my way over to the booth, nearly breaking my ankle from wobbling in my heels. Once again, curse this wine. 

“Abigail," I started, sliding into the free side of the booth, "you will not believe the information I just acquired." 

“Woah,” she said wide eyed. "Did your date go bad? Did he admit to something really shitty? Let's hear the deets." 

I laughed, but then sat up straight and placed my hands palm down on the table. Sebastian stopped scrolling on his phone to look up at me. 

“Remember how you told me Haley cheated on Sam?” I said in a hushed tone so the rest of the bar wouldn’t hear me. She nodded her head hesitantly.

"Where is this going?"

“I asked Alex why him and Sam had beef-"

"Shut _up_ no way."

" _Yes_ way. Alex told _me_ that Haley told _him_ that Sam broke up with _her_! Alex has no idea that he helped her cheat on Sam!”

Abigail let out a loud, long gasp. 

“Shut the fuck up no _way!_ Yoba she’s such a _bitch_.” Abigail whisper-screamed. “I gotta tell Sam. Or actually, wait, _Seb_ ," she turned to him dramatically. He knew what was coming and slumped into the cushions of the booth. "You _have_ to tell him.”

He sighed and leaned his all the way back.

“Abbs, I don't know if I should. It took him a while to get over the whole thing and I don’t wanna bring up old stuff. You know how he gets."

She scoffed and turned to face him.

“Well _yeah_ I _get_ that, but this is closure! He'll finally know that Alex isn’t the bad guy here and then they don't have to get all weird every time they see each other,” Abigail pleaded. She placed her head in her hands and puffed out her bottom lip. “Please?”

He glanced over at her and tried to hide his smile with a shake of his head. 

“Fine, I’ll think about it, but no promises.”

Abigail whispered a victorious “yes!”

She turned back to me with a smile and then gasped again. 

“SKYE. Sam’s having a birthday party at his place Wednesday night. His mom’s going to be out of town on some baking retreat and Marnie said she'd watch Vincent, so it’s just going to be us ~adults~” she formed small waves with her hands to emphasize “adults”. “You _have_ to come!” 

It didn’t take long for me to think about it. Hopefully Sebastian had talked to him by then so our conversations wouldn’t be so stiff all the time. Plus, I hadn’t been to a party that sounded this fun since college. The Joja parties back in Zuzu were pitiful, so those didn't count. Unless you wanted to count old music playing on a shitty speaker while no one talked, "fun".

“Count me in!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm literally re-reading this chapter and like...it's so bad? jfc. i'll fix it up soon promise.


	16. sam's birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a day early! i was feeling super inspired because i've been way more into stardew lately
> 
> over the next few days, i'm going to go back and edit some chapters because i hate the way i wrote them

I looked over the hastily scribbled “Save the Date!” card that was taped on the fridge. Well, it was a napkin with a few specks of spaghetti sauce on it. That was the Sam way. His birthday party was tonight, which is just so ironic considering his birthday is only days after Alex's. Of course the two Gemini men have issues with each other. 

I began to text Abigail asking her what I should wear, before I just laughed and deleted it. It’s Sam’s party, so I should just go casual. That was the farmer way. I threw on some loose jean shorts and a baggy t-shirt from some store back in Zuzu. I curled my lashes, applied some mascara, and decided I was ready for the day.

I stepped outside, and took a deep breath. The farm was in full swing at this point. I had been so busy with drama and angry boys that I hadn’t stopped to really appreciate all of the hard work I had done. Any time I worked on the farm I was in auto-pilot. It was impressive to me, since it meant I was really getting the hang of it to the point where I didn't have to think twice about what I was doing. On the other hand, what would my grandfather think? He took so much care in his practice and thought of nothing but his beautiful farm. I had to take another breath to steady myself, because pondering about what my grandfather would think of my work made me want to cry. He’d only have good things to say, and overly nice constructive criticism. That’s the way he worked. I couldn’t even think about the photo that had caused me to burst into tears back in my Joja cubicle. 

_Skye, this isn’t the time_. 

I shook out my hands for no reason other than to distract myself, and got to work. Sunflowers were his favorite, so I made a small clearing next to his shrine and planted some. I’m not sure where this shrine came from. To be honest it kind of creeped me out, but I had a feeling Lewis had something to do with it. They were such good friends I wouldn't be surprised if he created such a personal memorial for him. 

After I harvested some crops and organized them neatly in the shipping bin, all I had to do was play the waiting game. 

~

I was all set to go to Sam's house, but when I went to open the door I stopped hard. My eyes fell on his jacket. It was draped around the back of a chair, the exact same place I left it in when I accidentally brought it home with me. I didn't get Sam anything for his birthday, so maybe he'll enjoy having this back. I took the jacket, threw it over my shoulder, and opened the door. 

Night had fallen quickly. On my way to Sam’s house, I could hear the bass of the music thumping in my body. The feeling that it gives you could be entirely different depending on your situation. It could be terrifying, anxiety-filling, like you just knew your life was going to shit at this party. For me, it was exhilarating. Like something great was about to happen. I didn’t bother knocking because I knew no one would hear me over the music, so I texted Sam and hoped he would be checking his phone for people arriving. There was no immediate response, and so I played the waiting game once again while I listened to the thump of the music and faint chatter of socializing young adults. 

The only other house in bass-thumping range was Haley and Emily’s house. I’m not sure where Haley is, but I don’t want to be here when she inevitably calls Lewis to crash the party. 

I was caught off guard when the door swung open. Sam stood there with his hand still on the doorknob with an overwhelmed, but very happy, look on his face. He grinned from ear to ear. 

“Skye!” He held his arms out for a hug with a grin, “You made it!!” I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so giddy, but it _is_ the man’s 23rd birthday. He enveloped me in a hug, and that was the day I learned that he gave the best hugs I've ever been privileged enough to receive. 

I don’t think I’ve ever been this close to him before. Sure, I spent the night in his bed, but he slept on the couch. It sent shivers down my spine, the way his whole body wrapped me up so beautifully. He must have noticed the way I trembled, because he pulled away for a second and gasped. 

“Are you cold?” his words slurred together and his dark green eyes widened in overly dramatic concern. Then, they fell on his jacket on my shoulder. "My jacket?" He gingerly picked it from my shoulder and frowned. "Where are all the patches?"

I gave him a puzzled look before I made a small "o" with my mouth. I had told him I'd sew patches into it, but I had been so busy with the farm and Alex that I had forgotten to. 

"I must've forgotten to," I frowned, "But maybe we can set up a day where we get together and both sew patches into it?" 

He grinned with hooded eyes in response.

"Sounds perfect." We stood there for a moment before he cleared his throat. I scoffed at himself before relaxing his shoulders. "Where are my manners?" he joked, "come on in." He placed his hand on the small of my back ( _Yoba_ _, his hands were big)_ and led me inside the house. 

Huh. So this was Sam’s house. I’ve been here before, but I had to leave in such a hurry after I had woken up hungover that I never got to appreciate it all. It was a quaint house, the walls were filled with family photos. As for the other furniture, I couldn’t really see since there were so many people here. Abigail and Sebastian were on the couch, his arm slung over her shoulder as they talked closely and intimately with each other. _I’m glad I asked Sam to let me in, Abigail would’ve never checked her phone_. 

Emily was talking to Shane in the kitchen, red solo cups in their hands. Penny was talking to an unfamiliar face. Come to think of it, a lot of unfamiliar faces were here as well. I snapped out of my surveillance and looked back up at Sam, who was looking at me expectantly. 

“Oh!” I lightly smacked myself on the forehead. “Happy Birthday!” He flashed me an open wide smile and shut his eyes. It was boyish, but so adorable. 

“Thank you, thank you. The big 23 ammi right?” 

“I wouldn’t know, I’m only 22.”

Sam’s eyes widened for the second time in three minutes and for extra dramatics, his jaw dropped. 

“Whaaat!"

I had to laugh. He was good at that, making people laugh. It's a friend everyone needed in their life, and I was lucky to have Sam when he wasn't groaning about Alex. 

“Don’t you worry, I’ll be joining the club in winter.”

He pulled out his phone.

“What day?”

I bashfully smiled. He wanted to make sure he’d remember my birthday. 

“The 13th.”

“Perfect…” he said a little quieter but loudly enough so I could still hear him. “Only a couple days after Sebastian’s birthday too. That’ll be a fun week.”

“He’s a winter baby? That makes perfect sense.”

“Whaddaya mean?”

I let out a single laugh and then pointed my head in the direction of Sebastian sitting on the couch in his all black outfit that matched his jet black hair and his even darker eyes. Not to mention his cooled down personality. 

Sam peered over a few people to get a good look at his best friend and let out a laugh. The same rhythmic laugh that I heard on the beach the night of the fireworks. It was infectious, and so I had to join him for a brief moment before we both caught the couple’s attention. They looked at each other and then got off the couch and made their way over to us. 

“Hey guys!” I greeted them, pulling them both in for a hug. Abigail returned it with the same energy, but Sebastian was a little stiff. Classic stereotypical winter baby. 

“Skye! I’m so glad you made it. Have you had a drink yet?” Abigail asked. I shook my head no and she looked at Sam, appalled. “You haven’t offered? What kind of host are you?” 

Sam raised his hands defensively. 

“We were having a good conversation! Sue me!” He let out a breathy chuckle and then turned his attention back towards me. “Do you want anything to drink? We have beers in the mini-fridge in my room.”

I looked around at the red solo cups and then looked back at the matching pair of beers in the trio’s hands. Sam must’ve picked his back up sometime after he let me in. 

“What’s everyone else drinking?” I asked. Sam smiled mischievously.

“I told everyone it was BYOB, but you’re one of us so of _course_ you get free drinks. On the house.”

I scoffed. 

“I would _hope_ I get free drinks since your save the date napkin did _not_ include BYOB.” I earned another laugh from him and we all made our way to his bedroom. He quickly pulled a beer from the mini-fridge and kicked it close which caused a loud clink of bottles from inside. 

The four of us spent a while in there, the party forgotten as we all sat on his cramped bed. Things were going oddly well. Sam had never been this carefree, at least when I'd been with him. He’s always tripping over words or unsure of himself. Now that he’s had a few drinks in him, he’s confident and king of the world. I suppose it helped that he was on his home turf, where everyone’s a little more themselves than usual. Maybe Sebastian had told Sam about Alex and Haley and how he still had no clue he was involved in a cheating scandal. 

A little while later, everyone had left except for the four of us. We were all drunk, telling stories about our pasts. Sebastian was angrily talking about how Demetrius bosses him around, but every time he went to imitate his step-father’s voice, we all couldn’t help but laugh. Abigail had to stop us from laughing ourselves silly after she told us about her father’s stash of porn hidden in his room. Sam told us all about how his younger brother wasn’t very well potty trained when he was younger, so he’d have to run away from Vincent as he ran around the house peeing everywhere. Thank Yoba this house was mostly hardwood. 

As the night drew to a close, Abigail whipped out her phone. 

“Picture time!” she squealed. She set her phone up on Sam’s desk and put it on a timer for ten seconds. I stayed next to Sam, Sebastian sat to his right and Abigail sat to my left. We wrapped our arms around each other, Sam squeezed my shoulder so I squeezed his side in return. He squealed like a pig, causing us all to laugh right as the first flash went off. "Okay okay, we have to take a good one now," Abigail laughed.

"That wasn't a good one?" Sam questioned. We all remained sat with our arms wrapped around each other and smiled until the flash went off. The four of us scrambled off the bed to get a good look at the picture. Our rosy cheeks and big smiles were something that was already nostalgic to look at. Even Sebastian sported a smile with teeth, and we all coo'd at him like he was a baby. 

"Don't _make_ me delete that picture," he teased. 

HALEY’S POV

I could not _stand_ listening to Sam’s party music anymore, so I walked out the door with my camera in hand. Cindersap is a quiet place where I can take pictures and be far enough away from the racket. Unfortunately, I had to walk past his house to get there. What did I ever see in him?

A flash from his bedroom window caught my attention. I stopped in my tracks. Did he just take a picture of me? What a fucking creep. I began to walk closer to the window, but then inched away when I realized what was going on. Is that Sam sitting there? Yeah, it was Sam for sure. No one else has that kind of hair here. But who was sitting next to him all wrapped up under his arm like that? Someone in an ugly t-shirt... and I only know one person here who’s friends with Sam that dresses that ugly besides Abigail. Skye. 

I couldn't help the mischievous smile that spread across my face. This was _perfect_. 

I smirked and held up my camera to snap a picture and immediately texted Alex. 

HALEY:

You will not believe what I just saw. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh ohhh what's gonna happen 
> 
> something bad that's what


	17. UPDATE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> first update :O

Guys!! Thank you so so much for 500 hits. I started this fanfic as a joke since my roommates were writing separate ones. They sadly gave up on theirs after the first chapter, but I was too into Skye and her shenanigans in the valley that I had to keep writing. I want to thank the people who've commented as well! I check my dashboard a few times a day and every time I see that I have a new one I get so excited.

I'm really excited for where this story is going as well. I have a lot of ideas that are all over the place right now, but I'll get em all sorted out.

Final thing, I'm in the process of going back and re-writing/adding things to previous chapters. If you've already read em, feel free to re-read! Or don't! Totally up to you. So far I've edited Chapters 2 and 3, and I'll be updating the rest of them throughout the week/next week. 

Thanks so much again for the people who've read my story, it means so so much to me and I'm forever grateful.


	18. the bouquet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all of the chapters have been officially updated as of December 6, 2020! I fixed up some things that weren't working and made the plot a little more solid, so i hope you guys will go back and re-read it! 
> 
> as for now, i began writing this chapter so i could get it ready to post it on wednesday, but i couldn't help myself so here's another early chapter :)

The morning birds woke me up from my uncomfortable place on the couch. The news channel I had fallen asleep to was still quietly droning on in the background of my headache. _I may have had too much to drink last night._ I stumbled as I got up and had to ground myself until the dizzies had vanished. _I should really get some water in me_. I slowly made my way over to the kitchen and pulled an old plastic cup out of the cupboards. I gave it a home in the sink under the faucet and turned the water on to cold. While I waited for it to fill, my phone went off on the counter. I picked it up to check the time. 10:28 AM. The notification was a text from Alex. I smiled and swiped it open, reading his words carefully. And then I re-read them. I went over his words slowly, quickly, and then slowly once more. The water was quietly overflowing in my cup's place in the sink, but the nausea swirling in my stomach was a thousand times louder than next month’s water bills. 

ALEX:

I think we should talk.

That was it. That was the text. No smiley faces like he had done all those times before. No teasing words on the screen to ease my worries. I could feel his tone through the message, and it clawed at me anxiously, ripping my skin open and leaving me vulnerable. 

There was a firm knock at my door. _Fuck_. That had to be him. 

“Just a second!”

I felt my hands begin to shake as I scrambled to look at myself in the bathroom mirror. Last night’s makeup was slightly smeared across my face and my teeth were unbrushed, so I had to have a quick multitasking session. Makeup remover was shakily scrubbed across my face in one hand, and my toothbrush was in the other. The silence behind my front door was louder than my frantics. What was louder than that silence, were my racing thoughts. I didn't have time to come up with a coherent reason as to why he was here so early with such a looming text message as I wrapped my hair in a quick ponytail and ran to open the door.

All of my worries melted away as Alex stood there, bouquet in hand. I sighed in relief.

"Alex, you really worried me with that text-" I stopped short as I met his eyes for the first time. 

I was expecting a man who looked as happy as I did. I knew what bouquets meant in the valley. It was given to someone by a potential partner when they wanted to get more serious and become exclusive. It's been a tradition for years, and I knew that Evelyn and George must've talked to Alex about it. Like him, they were old fashioned in the traditional sense. But Alex wasn't happy to be standing on my front porch today. His eyes were as heavy as my heart. 

“These _were_ for you, Skye," he sniffed. Goosebumps raised in an instant up my whole body, but I kept my composure. It was already hard enough to keep the lump from bulging in my throat, let alone the rising goosebumps that were screaming at me. 

“What do you mean those _were_ for me?” I whispered. 

“I was going to surprise you with these. I stopped by Pierre’s this morning to get them fresh for you," he let out a dry laugh and looked down at the bouquet. It hung upside down in his limp hand. "But after you cheated on me last night, these are no longer for you.”

It felt as if my whole world stopped. I cheated on him? When did that happen?

“I... what? I cheated on you?” I questioned. I had spent nearly all of my time with him when I wasn't with my trio, and yet he was perfectly confident in his accusation. 

His eyebrows lowered into a glare and he wordlessly pulled out his phone and showed me a photo sent by Haley. It was Sam and I in his room with our arms wrapped around each other. I took a deep sigh and pinched the bridge of my nose. 

“Alex, we were posing for a photo. Abigail and Sebastian were there too. We weren’t going to do anything like _that_ with each other.”

I smiled in relief. This was just a big misunderstanding. I was about to relax my composure until I noticed he wasn't smiling back. In fact, he looked more distraught than before. 

“You know," he started, nodding to himself. "I should’ve seen this coming from a mile away. You’re always bringing up Sam. Sam this, Sam that. Skye, you couldn’t even keep his name out of your mouth on my _birthday_.” 

I closed my eyes and frowned. _Fuck_. I _knew_ that was a bad idea. I was hoping he had enough wine to forget about that conversation, but I suppose there wasn't enough wine in the world to stop Alex from keeping his mind sharp.

“Alex. It's really not like that. I was trying to get my friend and my," I paused before I accidentally called him my boyfriend. I took a sad sigh and my bottom lip began to quiver, " _you_ to be civil with each other because you guys couldn’t do it on your own. I’m not interested in Sam, Alex.”

“Yeah? Open your _eyes,_ Skye. He looks at you like a puppy. He clearly hasn’t gotten the hint that you’re supposedly ‘not interested’.” he sarcastically air quoted. He was steadily growing angry, and his voice was beginning to rise. I took a deep breath to try and slow my racing thoughts. 

“I’m not exactly sure what you’re talking about, but he has nothing to do with our relationship.”

“Are you _fucking_ kidding me Skye?!” He yelled, looking at his phone again. “Look at this picture again. Tell me there’s nothing between you two.” 

My lip quivered as I looked at Sam’s arm around my shoulders. I didn’t think I liked him the way Alex thought I did, but I’d sure as hell rather be comforted by Sam than yelled at by Alex. It didn't feel right. I never knew he could get this _angry_. It confused and scared the shit out of me, and the idea I had of him in my head had disintegrated. 

“Why don’t you trust me Alex? You’ve said it yourself that Haley doesn’t always tell the truth!”

“Because, Skye! This is photo evidence!”

I began to sob as I picked the skin around my thumb.

“Why can’t you believe that I only want to be with you?” I asked quietly. 

He seemed to relax a bit, but he held his thumb and pointer finger in the corner of his damp, red eyes.

“I’m afraid that no matter what I do, it’ll always go back to _him_ ," he muttered, defeated. My breath caught in my throat, and I wanted so badly to reach out towards him. I wanted to feel his warm arms around me, and I wanted him to kiss me and tell me that he believed me. I wanted him to give me that bouquet and tell me that he wanted to risk it all for me. But that wasn't going to happen anymore. Not after Haley got involved and ruined everything. "I thought I could prove to _you_ that I could be good enough… but I guess not.” He started to cry and I had to look away. “I really liked you Skye. And I thought you liked me too… but I think you need to take some time to figure out what you really want.” 

“Alex…” I pleaded. He shook his head solemnly. 

“See ya around, farmer.” And just like that he walked away. I tried to hold in my sobs as I watched him walk down the old dirt road until he was out of sight, and then I walked back inside and slammed the door. I slid down the wall as the sobs viciously shook my body. I shouted and I weakly pounded the floor with my fists as tears and morning sweat covered my face. 

I didn’t know what I did to deserve this. But after twenty minutes of holding myself in a ball on the floor, I came to the realization that no matter what I did, he’d always trust Haley more than me. We’d never get our fairy tale ending or a happily ever after, and I should’ve known from the start that it would have never worked. I took a shaky breath as I scrolled through my contacts to find Abigail and called her. She picked up after a few rings. 

“Hey! Are you feeling as shitty as I am after last night?” she joked, but it just made me cry harder. There was a deafening silence on her end before she finally said, “I’ll be over in five.” The line went dead and I went back to holding myself. I eventually grew numb to the feeling of Alex, and the feeling of his arms wrapped around me, and his lips against mine telling me everything was going to be okay. 

A few minutes passed where I just sat on the ground, mindlessly looking around my home. My face was settled into a permanent frown as I tried to push the thoughts of him out of my mind. I looked from the TV to the couch, to the fridge, to my cup still overflowing in my sink, and back to the TV.

Abigail knocked on my door, and as much as I wanted to get up and open the door for her I just couldn't. I had spent all of my energy on thinking and crying. She took the hint and slowly opened the door which was thankfully unlocked. She peered around momentarily before her eyes landed on me.

“Babe…” she cooed, closing the door and taking a seat next to me. She placed a soothing hand on my back and rubbed light, small circles over my shirt that was slick with sweat. “Tell me everything.”

And so I told her everything. From the beginning, where I woke up and found the message. Throughout the entire conversation, where he falsely accused me of cheating on him with _Sam_ of all people. She looked down guiltily at that, but it didn’t stop the word vomit coming out of my mouth. I told her all of the bits and details up to when she knocked on the door, and when she realized I had finished she looked down at her lap and took a deep breath.

“Skye… I am so _so_ sorry that happened. She took another breath and her body shook with rage. “Fucking, _Haley_ ,” she spat venomously. Her hands trembled as she balled them into fists. “ _Fuck_ she’s such a bitch.” I peered at her carefully before allowing a small, teary smile to finally come to my face. I learned early on that she cared about her friends with all of her heart, but only in times like this was it emphasized. 

“I know," I sighed. "I knew Alex was territorial, but I guess I was so wrapped up in…” my arms swayed around desperately trying to come up with the word for Alex and I’s situation. On the one hand, we did all of the things couples did. We went on dates, we kissed, and we told each other about our pasts. But on the other hand, he never called me his girlfriend. He was about to, if Haley hadn't come in and crushed everything. “...this,” I finally managed to call our relationship. “I never really thought about how territorial Haley was too.” 

Abigail looked at me, much calmer than she did before, to listen to my explanation. She looked down briefly, seemingly conflicted, but I continued. 

“And the fact that he saw a picture of me and Sam posing for a photo that you guys were also in and just went with the assumption that I was cheating on him… he just doesn’t trust me,” I concluded. My voice cracked and I bit my lip. 

Abigail pursed her lips. She looked like she was battling her mind over something before she turned to face me. 

“Look. I know it’s early, but we need to have a talk. It might even take your mind off of all of this."

I took a sharp breath. 

“Abby please, I don’t think I can take much more bad news today-”

She giggled and waved my bad thoughts away with a hand. 

“It’s nothing too serious. Well, it kind of is. It all depends on how you feel about it.”

“Okay well… what is it?”

She bit her lip mischievously, before she smiled.

“It’s about Sam.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so this is the end of alex and skye. they'll both eventually get closure, but for now skye has some bigger, blonder fish to fry.


	19. sam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy new year everyone!! i hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season. i know i haven't updated in a while, nearly a month, but i had finals week to worry about, my family and i are moving so we've been doing a lot of furniture moving and shopping. lots of things happening over in my world. BUT i'm super excited to finally get this chapter out :)

I looked at her hesitantly. My body subconsciously shifted away from her the slightest bit. 

“What do you mean it's about Sam?”

“Uhh..” her lips pursed as she chose her next words as carefully as possible. She took a deep breath, held it, and then let it out. 

“Abigail, _please_ -”

“Alright, alright! Okay.” She shifted her body to face me. I felt like I had to do the same. “I know it might be too soon, but I think you guys would be _great_ together.” 

I laughed for the first time that day. 

“If this is your way of cheering me up, it’s working,” I teased. My giggles grew uncomfortably awkward as her face slowly deadpanned. “You’re not kidding?”

“Guh’doy. You’re both young, hip, you guys get along so well…” she listed things off and counted on her fingers as she kept going. She was in the middle of saying how shiny both of our hair looked when I tuned out. Sam with the puppy dog eyes. Sam who’s always getting into trouble with the Mayor, but seemed like an awkward mess any time he wasn’t drunk. Sam who got super upset when I didn’t sew patches into his jacket. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find him charming. Not like how Alex was charming, Alex was smooth and always knew what words to say and where to put his hands on me. Sam was charming in the boyish sort of way. But that's the issue. I'm nowhere near ready for another "thing" in my life. 

“Are you even listening to what I’m saying right now!” my briefly forgotten about friend lightly nudged me, bringing me back to reality. 

“Listen, I appreciate you trying to pair me back up with someone so quickly, but…”

“But it’s too soon,” she gave me a knowing smile, “and I get it! I totally do. Just, ya know.. think about it." I knew she wasn’t going to stop pestering me about it until we came to an agreement, so of course I said,

“Okay fine, I’ll think about it.” 

She nodded her head affirmatively and stood up, offering me her hand. She hoisted me up easily (must've been all of those secret cave expeditions that made her so strong) and we both looked at each other, not really knowing what to say. 

“So uh-”

“Please come out with all of us tomorrow night! It’s been so long since we’ve all hung out together at the Saloon.” she clasped her hands together and jutted her lower lip out. I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. 

“Abby I don’t know. Alex literally just “broke up” with me — can I even call it that if we were never officially dating?” I waved my thoughts away with my hands. “Whatever. I just don’t know if I’m in the mood to watch everyone have a good time while I drink myself into a sad coma.”

“UGH!” she groaned and placed her hands firmly on my shoulders. “Listen to me, and repeat what I say,” she stated, forcing me to stare into her emerald eyes. I tiredly looked back, but nodded my head in agreement.

“I, Skye Beal, am going to go to the Saloon tomorrow,”

“I, Skye Beal, am going to go to the Saloon tomorrow.”

“Great, you’re doing amazing so far.”  
“Great, you’re do-”

She gave me a motherly glare, a glare that I couldn’t help but snicker at.   
“Okay okay, keep going.”

~

After she made me promise that I was going to have fun and drink too much alcohol, she bid me farewell with a promise that she’d be there if I needed anything for the rest of the day. In all honesty, I didn’t want her to leave. As soon as she closed the door behind her I could feel the loneliness begin to creep in on me. Being in an empty house reminded me that I was alone. There was no Alex there to wrap me in his varsity jacket or poke fun at the way I groan like a grandma when I’m harvesting crops. I moved over to the couch where I curled myself up into a ball and threw one of my grandfather's old blankets on top of me. I glossed my eyes over my phone, but there were no messages or missed calls from him. It’s not like I was expecting any, hell it’d be a miracle if he were to reach out to me after what he said to me this morning. All I knew was that I had to stay strong. I’m not reaching out to him first, because I did nothing wrong. He listened to _Haley_ of all people for Yoba’s sake. He knew how conniving she was. 

I threw my head onto the back of the couch. It was unbelievable that me and Alex were some sort of item yet he wouldn't believe my explanation. Sure, the picture looked like Sam and I were having a moment, but if he had just trusted me... 

If Haley hadn't taken that stupid fucking picture. 

Yoba, I hate her. I don't hate a lot of people, and that's saying something. I worked at Joja Corp for fuck's sake. I didn't like a lot of the people there, especially my manager, but hate was reserved for a select few. Haley was one of them. 

And just like that, my sadness and despair was replaced with anger. 

So I followed Abigail’s orders and went to the Saloon the following night. I was inches away from the front door, when I noticed I could see Alex's house from here. I could also see him outside his house talking to Haley. I felt my heart drop into my stomach. My legs betrayed me and came to a halt, my hand wrapped around the door handle of the Saloon. She was smiling at something he said and tucking a piece of hair behind her ear while he looked down at his feet with a goofy smile. That goofy fucking smile that I had fallen for. I bit my lip and forcefully walked into the Saloon. I ignored Gus’s wave from behind the counter and stormed into the bathroom. It definitely caught the Saloon’s attention, specifically the trio who were waiting for me in their regular booth. If I was going for being the center of attention tonight, I’d have won first fucking place. 

I locked the door and turned to look at myself in the mirror. I met my own eyes, looking at myself for a good hard moment, and then watched as my face contorted into a pained sob. The kind of sob that was slow, quiet, and no tears had come out yet. It's when you just look like you're in pain. Agonizing pain. Where you just wanted to hold yourself and fix the hurt, but nothing could fix this. What Alex had done to me had confused and angered me beyond my comprehension.

What hurt the most?

I couldn't even talk to him about it.

Then there was a knock at the door. I took a shaky breath and turned back to face the mirror.

“Sorry, one second,” I shakily called out while I wiped away my tears. I rushed to grab a wad of toilet paper and blew my nose as loudly as I could. To the unknowing mind, it just looked like I had to sneeze. I opened the door and was surprised to see who came to my rescue. 

SEBASTIAN’S POV:

“Oh, hey Sebastian,” Skye smiled and sniffled. “Sorry, I had to blow my nose. It got pretty runny on the walk over.”

She’s bad at lying. Giving too many details unprompted was a dead giveaway. She could've said, "Oh, hey Sebastian!" and call it a night. Even a "hello!". 

“No worries,” I shrugged, “Now uh, was it runny from the humidity? Or was it the crying?”

You know that look dogs give you when they’ve pooped inside the house? And not on the potty pad you give puppies; like a rug or something. That’s the look Skye was giving me. Frozen in place with wide eyes and a guilty frown. It’s the same exact look Sam gives me when he lies. _Huh, maybe Abby’s onto something with those two_.

“Uhh,” she paused, and then sighed in defeat, “The crying." she paused again, wondering if she should continue, and then she rolled with it, "I saw Alex on my way over here and uh, I guess I just got pissed off.”

Now, it wasn’t _my_ idea to make Skye feel better. Abby and Sam said that me coming in to help her out would be so out of left field that she’d just feel more awkward than sad. I guess it had worked.

I shrugged again.

“No worries. We just ordered a round so there’s a drink for you at the table.”

Her hands were placed on her hips; she was trying to regain any sense of dignity she'd lost. She nodded her head in agreement. 

“Alright, sounds perfect.”

SKYE’S POV:

I wasn’t expecting Sebastian to be on the other side of the bathroom door, but I think as weird as it was, it did distract me even if it was for 30 seconds. We walked back to the booth in comfortable silence. I slid in next to Sam and Sebastian resumed his place next to Abigail. She took a swig of her beer and looked from me to Sam and back to me. She raised her eyebrows suggestively, and I had to hold my breath and glance at Sam. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice — he was writing down song lyrics on a napkin. I released the breath I was holding and drank up. 

Knocking back a few drinks was just what I needed. I felt it coursing through my body, loosening me up so I could vent to the them all about Alex and what had happened. When I got the part involving Sam, he took a long, sharp breath of air in through his teeth.

"He should've been there," he said.

We eventually moved on to other topics, like the moonlight jellies. It happened at the end of each summer. Everyone in town gathered at the docks so they could watch them all migrate over to warmer water and escape the cold. We made it a plan to meet up and smoke an hour before. After an hour of talking about our everyday lives, Abigail and Sebastian called it a night. That left Sam and I alone to knock back more drinks. We got into more serious discussions, like how Vincent has night terrors involving his dad who was still at war. It was something Sam had to deal with after he had told his younger brother that, "Mom has enough to worry about, just come to me if you have one,". We eventually ended up in silence, and the only thing we could hear was the jukebox. 

“Hey," he eventually said, "I’m sorry about what happened with you and Alex. Like, sincerely,” he said, turning his slender frame to face me. 

“It’s alright,” I sighed and leaned an arm on the table to face him, “Alex loves Haley and Haley loves Alex. Alex has trust issues and Haley's a liar." I stopped to chug down the rest of my drink. "They're perfect for each other.” 

We looked at each other for a beat. His intoxicated eyes searched my face, before taking another drink from his pint glass. 

“You can do better than him," he said sincerely. I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Hey, I meant that." 

“Oh yeah? Like who?” I questioned. 

He let out a small breath and glanced down at his drink before looking back at me.

Fuck. Abigail must’ve talked to him about us as well. I mean, I should’ve known. Her and Sebastian are always leaving early so we could hang out. If I was uncomfortable with this information, he was too.

“Did Abigail talk to you about the same thing she talked to me about?” I asked. His eyebrows snapped together in confusion. 

“What do you mean?” he laughed nervously.

“She uh... she said that we would be a cute couple.”

  
  
SAM’S POV:

It felt like my heart came to a halt in my chest. Was this _the moment_? Like, should I make a move? Does _she_ want to make the move? Sure we're in a crappy town saloon which isn't the most romantic thing on the planet, but I don't think she cares about those things. 

“She did?” I asked. I nervously ran my fingers through my hair, which I had managed to do so much tonight that the gel was coming apart.

"Yeah," she giggled shyly. 

“Well uh, what do you think about that?” I asked before emptying the rest of my drink into my mouth. 

“I don’t really know how to answer that question,” she said and looked up at me with her dark eyes. And damn if those eyes weren't the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. 

Was this her asking _me_ to make the move? I looked down at her and bit my lip. I looked from her eyes to her lips, waiting for any sort of signal. I slowly leaned in. That's when her lips parted. It was the subtlest of movements, but I caught it. That was all I needed to see to cup her warm, soft face, and kiss her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOAAAAH. let me know how you liked this long awaited chapter!!


	20. evelyn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> double upload bc i feel bad for not updating in like a month.
> 
> this chapter's short but important! and juicy!!

He was kissing me so softly and gently. His calloused fingers cupped my face as if I were made of porcelain and he didn’t want to shatter me. And because I was drunk, I kissed him back. It was slow, and his lips tasted like beer and pizza. He let out a shaky breath through his nose, and it felt warm and tickled my face. 

But then I thought about Alex. And how he’d kiss me with a fiery passion. I almost stopped kissing Sam, but then I remembered how he showed up at my house with a bouquet of flowers and then broke things off with me. How we trusted Haley over me. 

Fuelled by anger, I grabbed the collar of Sam’s shirt and brought him closer to me, but he backed away. He looked down at me, trying to figure out what to say. Did I take things too far? Was he ready for something so intimate? Could you even call grabbing the boy’s shirt intimate? I looked up at him hesitantly.

“Sam?”

...

“We’re drunk,” he stated. Sadly, even. He began to twiddle his thumbs. “And it’s too soon.”

As much as it sucked to hear it, he was right. 

“I know,” I muttered. 

“I’m sorry Skye. I didn’t mean to cross any boundaries. Or kiss you while I was drunk. Ok, well I did mean to kiss you, but- yeah you get it. Point is,” be breathed. “I really like you. A lot. And if you don’t feel the same way yet I get it, ya know. You’re thing with Alex…”

My ears were ringing, and I could no longer understand what he was saying. So instead, I stood up and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. 

“I can’t be with you right now,” I said.

“Oh!” his voice caught in his throat, and he had begun messing with the cuffs in his flannel. “Yeah, I get it. No big deal.” He slid out of the booth with his long legs and stood to face me. “Friends?” 

“Friends.” I didn’t even have to think twice about it. Besides Abigail, Sam was my closest friend here. I’m not going to let a drunk kiss get in the way of that.

“So…” he trailed off with a sad, awkward laugh. 

“I’ll see you soon, Sam,” I said. Against my better judgement, I kissed him on the cheek. His eyebrows raised in the center, and he gave me one of those famous lopsided smiles of his. 

“Promise?”

I laughed. 

“Maybe. Probably.”

~ 

The following morning I woke up and made the decision I was going to Alex’s house to set things straight. I didn’t care if he was going to take me back or not, but I wanted to let him know the truth. I purposely avoided Sam’s house. Right about now is when he leaves his place to go to work, and I didn’t want to run into him so soon after our kiss. 

Did I regret the kiss? Honestly, I don’t think I did. 

Sam was a rockstar with a lot of energy. He’s shown me clips of his gigs, and he’s bouncing around stage in his old worn-out converse. He’s sweating, and he’s screaming with electric energy. But when he kissed me yesterday it was like he was living a whole other life. One thing I was worried about was our friendship. And I had to have space to think things through before I even thought about jeopardizing that.

I cleared my throat upon walking up to Alex’s front door.  _ Just knock and get it over with _ . Before I could chicken out and run back to the farm, the door opened. I flinched, expecting it to be Alex or maybe even Haley, but instead there was little old Granny Evelyn. She smiled at me warmly, and even a little sadly. _She has to know_. 

“Hey dear,” she spoke softly, unmoving from her spot. I don’t blame her for not wanting to let me in, she probably didn't want to see Alex and I fight. 

“Hey Evelyn,” I said, looking down at my feet and then to the old oak tree. Where I first saw him and he tried to act too cool. 

“I wish I could say it’s nice to see you, but it seems as if it’s a bit sad,” she sighed. 

“Yeah, I know. I was hoping I could talk to Alex and try to explain what had happened,” I trailed off. Her chin was beginning to tremble, and she dabbed at the corner of her eyes. 

“I know, hun. And you know what?” she asked. 

“What?” 

She slowly shuffled outside in her worn house slippers and closed the door. 

“I believe you.”

We had taken a walk over to the small areas of flowers planted neatly in front of Doctor Harvey’s office. We watered them and slowly made our way around the plaza as we spoke. 

“Skye, he really liked you,” she sighed as she brushed a single finger delicately over a flower’s petal. Instead of responding I watched as she took care of her plants — each and every one of them were given a little pet of her finger before she moved on to the next one. 

“I know,” I whispered. 

“I’m sure he talked to you about his father,” she stopped and stared out into the distance before giving a raspy laugh. “Or, come to think of it, he probably didn’t.”

I was confused, but laughed anyway. 

“Yeah, he’d bring him up but then he'd get mad. The subject always changed. I didn’t want to pry too much.” 

“That’s Alex.” She set her watering can down and sat down on the bench we had made our way over to. She gently patted the space next to her and I took it, clasping my hands together. 

“His father wasn’t a good man. I’ll put it like that. And it was very traumatizing for Alex,” her face scrunched up. “He takes the first sign of distrust as a reason to run.”

“I guess I can understand that.” 

We sat in comfortable silence for a while, just listening to the birds chirping. I thought about Alex and what his father must’ve done to crush the boy’s spirit. He must’ve left him at some point, I don’t know when or why, but it clearly ruined him forever. The way Alex first responded to me when I lied and told him I was just staring at the oak tree. He was caught off guard. When I questioned him in front of Evelyn about being “pro”, and he had lost the light in his eyes. Evelyn knew just what to say to cheer him up. The man ruined Alex’s self esteem and fuelled his distrust in people. 

“Can I ask you something?” I asked, but continued to look ahead of me. 

“Anything, dear.”

“Do you know Haley very well?”

Evelyn gave me a knowing sigh. 

“Yes I do. And I know your follow up question too,” she grinned. “Why does Alex trust Haley? I don’t know. I suppose it’s because they grew up together. They went to high school together, prom, and then right back here to Pelican Town. Truth be told, Alex was popular but didn’t have many friends. Now of course he had his gridball team but that’s all they really ended up being. His high school team,” she smiled sadly at the lake and then took my hand in hers. “Skye, I want the best for my son. While I have my doubts about Haley…” we both looked at each other and laughed. It was nice to know that Alex’s grandmother of all people were on my side. “Unfortunately I think you can do better. Alex needs to seek help, and I’ve been telling him that for years. You aren’t responsible for fixing him dear.” 

And she was right. I wasn’t responsible for fixing him, that was his job. So I took a deep breath, looked up at his home after dropping Evelyn off at the front door, and said my silent goodbye. 

SAM’S POV: 

I had sent Sebastian maybe a hundred messages about what had happened last night. She wasn’t ready for anything serious, but she gave me a big ol’ smooch on the cheek and that had to count for something. 

The morning after our kiss-talk, I called out sick. I was hardcore hungover after last night and wasn’t ready to mop and restock shelves from 9-5. Instead, I popped an Advil, drank some water, and made my way over to the hedge in front of Lewis’s house. I knew I probably should’ve just stayed in bed, but being happy plus being in the sun equals being extraordinarily happy. 

That’s when I heard people talking. 

I flattened my hair down and peeked my head over the hedge. It was Skye and Granny, talking about something. In front of Alex’s house. 

She’s going back to him. 

I watched them talk for a few minutes and waited until they had walked over to the plaza to sit back down against the hedge. 

It was all a lie. 

She was just drunk, that’s why she made those empty promises. I wanted to scrub her soft kiss off of my cheek. I felt numb when I pulled out my phone, tapped on the only person I could think of calling, and put the phone up to my ear. 

_ Ring, ring.  _

_ “Hello Sam, is everything alright?” _

“Hey Penny. What are you doing later tonight?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah, sam's sad.


	21. confrontations and a bit of song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this chapter is kinda messy, but we're almost at the end of the story!! only a couple chapters left at this point, but I'm already thinking of a new one. if you guys have anyone in mind i should be writing about pls pls let me know. i'd love to write another sam fic but i'm open to suggestions. 
> 
> song i listened to for writing this chapter: lo vas a olvidar

I went straight home after my chat with Evelyn. She had put the hardest pill to swallow right into the palm of my hand: I’m not responsible for fixing Alex. The hardest part about it all was that I wanted to. I had envisioned a life where I made him able to trust people, trust  _ me _ . Where we could live happily going to gridball games and working on the farm together.    
But that’s never going to happen. Not when the only Doctor in town was Harvey and he wasn’t a qualified therapist or psychiatrist. Definitely not when Haley had him wrapped around her stupid fucking finger. I was new in town, and it piqued Alex’s interest. That’s all I was to him, a shiny new toy. And he took the first sign of distrust to get rid of me and go back to his old reliable. 

But then there was Sam, who I had never really thought about in a romantic sort of way. He was the boy who would take care of me when I got too drunk, or cover me at festivals when I’d fuck up another tradition. The boy who’d give it his all on stage, but became a whole other soul when it came to kissing me. Maybe we were just drunk, but Yoba did it feel like there was something else there. I felt bad for leaving him after he kissed me, but I knew it was too soon. If I wanted us to work, I had to figure out my own feelings with Alex first. I know now that Alex was just a fantasy I could never fully enjoy. My hands were always reaching out to him, just for him to recede back into his shell. His interest in me felt carefully calculated, like one of his gridball plays. He came to me with an offer of a relationship, but how long would that have lasted before Haley inevitably gotten in the way?

I felt my stomach turn, and my chin was aching, trembling in disgust. Sadness. Betrayal. I felt used. I was never truly Alex’s, not with the blonde temptress right down the block. My hands fumbled for my phone, my tears making the screen unintelligible. I blinked hard and inhaled sharply as I gave Abigail a call. I felt bad for relying on her during this whole situation, but I didn’t want to come to Sam for this. 

_ Ring ring…. _

_ Ring ring…. _

_ Ring ring…… _

_ ………… _

_ Hey, you’ve reached Abigail- _

I wasn’t going to leave her a voicemail, so I hung up. She was probably busy working at Pierre’s or messing around with Sebastian. My thumb scrolled through different contacts, and it lingered on Sam’s.  _ Fuck _ . Okay, maybe I can call him and avoid talking about Alex. I could just say I’m upset and need some support. Guys like supporting girls after break ups, right?

_ Ring ring… _

_ Ri- _

“Hey.”

I breathed in relief, I hadn’t even realized I was holding my breath. 

“Hey, um, could I talk to you?”

“Uhh…”

“It’s uh, sorry, I just really need to talk about something.”

“Yeah, I figured,” he spat. 

It completely caught me off guard. 

“Okay…? Um, when can we talk?”

“I’m busy right now Skye.”

I bit my lip. Maybe he had changed his mind about our kiss. 

“What are you up to?”

“Penny’s at my place right now.”

He had practically bragged. He was killing two birds with one stone; boosting his own ego while tearing down mine. He said it so easily. It rolled right off his tongue.  _ Penny _ . I knew about their past. Abigail loved to gossip, and I had the privilege of knowing about their life. I knew exactly what was happening. He didn’t want me, for some unbeknownst reason. 

“Right. Okay,” my voice cracked. I balled up my fist and bit down on my lip hard enough to leave a mark, but not enough to bleed. There was silence on the other end. “Bye then.”

“Bye, Skye.”

And that was it. My body shook with silent sobs, something I had gotten so good at hiding after all of the years of working at Joja. Why did this have to happen to me? Why was I strung up over  _ Sam _ after one kiss? 

My body curled up on the bed, and I cried. I felt the tears flow down my face and onto the pillow under my head. All I could think about was his eyes, and his smile. His rosy cheeks when he’s had too much to drink, and his laugh that always made me feel better. Being hurt by Alex was one thing, but being hurt by a friend was on a whole other level.

There was a sporadic knock at my door.    
  
“Go away!” I shouted in pain. It took me a moment to remember that I wasn’t in highschool, crying in my room while my father tried to understand what was going on. I was an adult, and I lived on a farm where I had to take care of it for a living. If this was some sort of business opportunity, I would’ve just ruined it and my entire reputation in town. But by the grace of Yoba, the door creaked open and Abigail peaked her head in. 

“Skye?” she whispered softly. I had felt so bad for yelling at her that I just cried harder. She muttered something under her breath, closed the door, and quickly made her way over to me with her arms outstretched. I sobbed into her oversized band-t and she just kept whispering, “I know, I know.” And because she knew, I didn’t have to explain anything that had just happened and I cried harder. She somehow knew what was going on, and it made me feel somewhat better about everything. Regardless of her friendship with Sam, she was still my friend too. 

We made ourselves cozy on the couch with some tea while she explained her side of the story. She was getting the door for Sebastian at her place and they both saw Penny outside of Sam’s house. 

“She  _ never  _ goes to that house. The last time she was there was when him and Haley broke up.”

“But… we didn’t?” I felt pathetic and weak. Why did I care so much?

Abigail sighed. 

“Sebastian told me that Sam saw you outside of Alex’s house talking to Evelyn. He thought you were going back to him….” she gave me a quick glance. “You’re not…”

“ _ No _ . Absolutely not. I just wanted closure,” I shook my head and pushed my matted hair out of my face and up into a ponytail. That seemed to calm Abigail down a bit, which made me relieved in return. “My whole plan was to get closure, tell him the truth, and then leave it alone. Then get to know Sam more.  _ That was my plan,” _ I said, more to myself than to Abigail. “I just, I don’t get it. I don’t know why I’m so hung up over him. We kissed once and it was yesterday.”

Abigail laughed sadly and rolled her eyes. 

“You never noticed the way he looked at you?”

I tried to recall, but I just couldn’t. 

“Skye, you were so busy with Alex that you never saw how you guys sparked when you were together. Sure it was awkward sometimes, but  _ Yoba _ it was such a fucking spark. Why do you think Seb and I always left you two alone?”

And that’s what triggered my memories. Our childish mannerisms the night of the Flower Dance when he snuck into his room with a grin plastered on his face. How I took his side at the Luau and took his bottle of wine over Alex’s can of corn. The way we fit together so easily at his birthday party, and last night when we kissed. It was then that I realized that I was mistaking my feelings for Sam. Maybe this was what a relationship was supposed to look like. Happy. 

All my life back in the city I went after men that needed fixing. I ran after men who were worrying me sick by doing heavy drugs in the basements of parties and never opening themselves up to me. I always stayed because I thought I could fix them. But Sam didn’t need to be fixed, not in that way at least. And that’s why I never realized that my feelings of awkwardness around him weren’t just awkwardness. I wasn’t opening my heart up to the idea of true love. 

“Abby… I think I made a huge mistake.”

~

Friday nights at the Saloon were awkward now. It was just Sebastian, Abigail, and I. Sam came sometimes, but he always brought Penny, and he always looked exhausted. He always tried to have a cheery demeanor, but the bags under his eyes were the harsh truth. Penny looked tired too, but in a really sad way. Like she was tired of the life she’s been living, but she stuck to Sam’s side nonetheless. 

I wanted to talk to Sam, but he didn’t respond to my texts or calls. I definitely wasn’t going to talk to him when fucking Penny was wrapped around his side at the Saloon. I had to wait for the right time, and I decided the time for that was the morning before the migration of the moonlight jellies. 

I walked right up to his bedroom window and knocked on it. An image flashed across my mind of the curtain being pulled back and Penny laying naked on his bed, and suddenly I regretted my decision and wanted to run away, but my legs went stiff. My body relaxed when Sam pulled back the curtain and it was just him. I gave him my best hopeful look, and he sighed but opened his window anyways. He stood there silently before ushering me inside. I gripped the sides of the window frame and hoisted myself inside, now standing with my hands in my pockets. 

“Sam-” 

“Don’t.” he muttered. He stumbled to his desk chair, kicking over a beer can on the way there. Come to think of it, there were a  _ lot _ of empty beer cans in his room.  _ Was he drunk right now? _ “I’m not drunk, if that’s what you’re thinking,” he had a cocky grin on his face. Why was this so amusing to him? Because for the first time ever he’s the one who feels in control of our dynamic? Because he has Penny dangling in front of my face for all of the wrong reasons? 

“Sam we need to talk,” I stated, trying to remain composed. 

He sighed. “What are we talking about, Skye?”

“That you got the wrong idea. I went to Alex’s house to tell him the truth about the night of your birthday party, not to get back together with him.”

“I’m happy with Penny,” he said, very unconvincingly and not meeting my eyes. He had lost his spark. 

“You’re happy with Penny? Genuinely? Then why are you drinking all the time? Why do you look exhausted every time we see you? And no, that isn’t post-fuck exhaustion so don’t give me that bullshit.”

“Pam always wanted Penny and I to end up together, so it just feels like the only option.”

“Sam? Please?” I made my way over to him and wrapped my hands around his. They were soft, and cold, like the absence of soul. “I’m finally figuring out my feelings and how wrong I was about them. I really want to get to know you better-”

“Penny already knows me. It’s just easier that way.” 

Not again.  _ Please _ not again. 

“Sam,” I took a shaky breath and looked at our hands together. He hadn’t pulled them away. “I’ve been chasing guys my whole life that needed to be fixed, but I didn’t realize that that isn’t my job. And I think it took me realizing that to understand that we could have something really good.”

  
  
SAMs POV:

She’s finally confessing her feelings for me. I should be over the moon, but when I go back to Penny and she takes care of me the way she does, it feels like I’m trapped and can never leave. And sometimes I didn’t want to leave. She cared for me the way I had wished Haley cared for me, and now, Skye. 

I couldn’t find the words to respond to her, and the longer the silence went on, the more her bottom lip started to tremble. She left the way she came in, through my bedroom window, and walked towards the plaza. Probably to Abigail’s to talk about what just happened. I don’t even care anymore. And it was weird, because even though she told me what really happened outside of Alex’s house, and I believed her, it felt like nothing changed. Because I was with Penny. Sweet Penny who needed an escape from her mother, anything to take her mind off of it while she saved up money to escape to the city. I was her distraction, and she was mine. I had an opportunity for something great, but shit happens I guess. 

I sighed and swivelled to face my desk. I chewed at my lip as I flipped through the pages of my notebook and landed on some notes I had taken.  _ What the fuck are these? _ They weren’t song lyrics for the band or random doodles of UFO’s. They were notes, and they were about my reading that Abigail had given me. I scoffed at the irony of it all, but then paused. She  _ did  _ say that my next relationship wouldn’t be healthy. I was the fool who entertained, while she was the empress who took care of me. I had underlined the words  imbalanced and  detached . I held my breath and sat up straighter than I have in weeks. Like reality had just punched me in the gut. This was  _ way _ too close to home. I had always thought this reading was supposed to be about Skye, but it’s starting to look a lot more like Penny. But at this point, leaving Penny would kill her. And while I wasn’t in love with her, she was one of my closest friends. 

I turned to look at my dusty mirror.  _ Yoba, I look so tired _ . Tired of wasting my energy on hookups that are straining the both of us. 

So now I had to make a big decision. Do I leave Penny for the sake of my own happiness while she has to stay at home and take care of her mother? Or do I keep distracting her? The answer was obvious, but I wasn’t ready to make it. So instead, I wrote a song about it. 

~

So now I was sitting on Sebastian's friendship couch, watching eagerly as Seb and Abigail scanned over my notebook.

“Dude, this is like some emo shit right here,” Sebastian said, scanning over my lyrics. His cigarette hung loosely from his mouth, and Abigail snatched it to take a puff from it. 

“Are you surprised? Look at the kid,” she waved the cig in my direction and I pouted. “How long did it take you to write this?”

“Half an hour,” my pout turned into a grin. “I wrote it and immediately ran it up here.”

The look on her face made my smile disappear. 

“Sam, these are good lyrics, don’t get me wrong, but shouldn’t you be showing these to someone else?” Yoba, she could be blunt. 

“I mean, we have a gig tomorrow for the moonlight jellies. We could perform then.”

“You think?” Sebastian raised his eyebrows, unconvinced. 

“Look, let’s head back to my house, we can figure it out. We’re a good band.”

The two looked at each other, speaking through facial expressions. I jutted out my lower lip and widened my eyes. 

“Pwease-”

“Okay! Okay fine, let’s go,” Abigail stood and looked at me with a disapproving smile and a roll of her eyes. 

And so we went back to my place and got to work. We started with some improv on the drums which was easy because I already had an idea of how the melody would work and what I’d be playing on guitar. Then we went over the keyboard, which took a little longer but came out to a success. 

By the time we had finished going through it a couple times, it was dark out and my mom had texted me with a volume warning. 

“Alright guys, I think we just go over it tomorrow a couple times and we’re good to go,” I beamed, setting my guitar back on it’s stand. Abigail and Sebastian got to their feet to gather their things. 

“Yeah, sounds good. Let’s just hope she gets what you’re trying to say,” Sebastian hinted. Nerves swirled around in my stomach and I began to chew on the inside of my lip. 

“It’ll be fine,” I thought out loud with a nod of my head. 

And now we wait. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys for nearly 900 reads. i never thought i'd garner this many hits, and it's because of you guys that i have the inspiration to finish this fic :). i'll be outlining the last couple of chapters next week.


	22. the moonlight jellies | part one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two parter coming at you. i'm not sure when the next part will be out since i started running out of steam towards the end of this chapter. but enjoy in the meantime!!
> 
> i see sam, abby, and seb being a beach house type band (since i always choose the high energy dance music in the game) so feel free to listen to the songs that they play as they play them!! really helps set the mood. 
> 
> Levitation - Beach House  
> Myth - Beach House  
> Space Song - Beach House

Tonight was a night that my grandfather had always cherished. He loved nature and everything she had to give us, so of course the migration of the moonlight jellies was his all time favorite. It was the only reason I was going. I didn’t want to see Sam. In fact, I don’t think I wanted to see anyone. It’s been a cruel journey living here in Pelican Town, and with the recent events that were going on I had already thought about moving back to the city. I would’ve, but there’s so many variables. Where would I work? Where would I live? No one would be here to take care of my grandfather’s farm, and I wasn’t going to decline his dying wish of me taking care of it. I knew I had to stay, no matter how badly I wanted to leave. 

The house was starting to creak and groan with the weather’s quick shift to the fall season. Tonight was definitely the night to get the fireplace burning since my grandfather’s central heating system was basically nonexistent. I’m going to have to talk to Robin about a house upgrade at some point, and now seemed like the best time to do it. I had the materials and the money, so I decided to make the trek up to the carpenter’s house. 

It was quiet outside, give or take a few people who were already at the beach to enjoy the last bits of summer. I heard soft synths coming from that direction, and I facepalmed. Of course the band’s playing tonight. I tried my hardest to ignore Sam’s vocals that echoed throughout town and sped-walked to Robins.

_ Knock knock. _

“Door’s unlocked!”

The door creaked open and I peaked my head in. Robin greeted me with a smile. 

“Well it’s about  _ time _ you showed up here! I bet the wind’s starting to pick up at the farm huh?”

“Yeah actually,” I laughed, stepping fully inside of the house’s warmth. “I wanted to talk to you about upgrading the central heating system.”

“ _ Perfect _ timing, Skye. Perfect perfect perfect…” she began muttering as she flipped through a stack of hastily organized blueprints, trying to find the best one for me. “Okay!” She motioned for me to step up to the counter and showed me the blueprint. I couldn’t understand any of it but I tried my best to act in awe. 

“So here’s what I can do for you. I can add central heating in so you don’t have to worry about setting your house on fire with that old fireplace. I can also make you a new bed frame and have a mattress shipped in from Zuzu so you don’t have to sleep on a twin anymore. We can get you a queen, how’s that sound?”

“I mean, it sounds great, but...” 

“But it’s your grandfathers,” she instantly became sympathetic, zapping out of her saleswoman persona. Or maybe this  _ was _ her saleswoman persona. She gave me a small smile and then clapped her hands together. “Tell you what. If you ever decide to have kids in the future you could keep that old bed and put it in their room. Which I can also build for you as an add-on to your house.”

The idea of staying here long enough to have kids was a scary thought. I didn’t have any plans of marriage seeing how things were romantically going for me around here. But regardless, I said:

“Okay… yeah that sounds good. What do I do with it for now? The bed, I mean.”

“Well I do have the capabilities of building a shed for youuu,” she drew out her last word as she flipped through more blueprints. “Boom,” she pointed her finger at it and then flipped it towards me. “It doesn’t take up a lot of space on that big farm of yours but it holds a lot. You can put your grandfather’s bed in there and lots of other stuff.” 

I  _ have _ been doing well with business on the farm. I haven’t been spending a lot of money on things, so I had managed to have a big chunk of money in my savings. 

“Sounds like a plan then,” I smiled and shook Robin’s hand. “Thanks so much,”

“No worries. I’ll get started on it tomorrow. I’ll take a downpayment now and the rest when I’m finished.”

We worked out the prices and then promised to see each other at the beach later tonight. Another reason to show up.

~

Night fall came quick. The jellies didn’t migrate until around 10:30, but people started showing up at 8. I decided to sit on the edge of the dock. I had made sure to say hello to Robin and thank her for the big job she was doing first, though. As for talking to other people… I couldn’t talk to Abigail or Sebastian since they were about to perform. Alex and Haley were talking on the far end of the beach, hands intertwined. She caught my eye, and her smile faded as she looked down. Huh. What was up with her? 

I returned my gaze to the ocean in front of me, which was reflecting the moon off of it’s calm waters. The moment didn’t last long; mic feedback screeched and caught everyone out of their calm moods. 

“Careful with that thing! The jellies are  _ extremely _ sensitive to sound!” Elliott whisper shouted up at the trio. Sam inhaled through his teeth. 

“Sorry!” he whispered into the microphone. “So uh, hey guys. Welcome to migration season,” Sam began. A few people cheered, but not too loudly. No one wanted to be shouted at by Elliott. “We have a couple songs lined up for tonight, but none of our louder stuff so we don’t upset the jellies. Or the elderly ears. We’re gonna take it nice and slow tonight,” Sam bit his bottom lip with a smile and looked in my direction. I looked away and felt the burning sensation in my chest at the same time. It was if he had just whipped me with his presence.  “We’re gonna start the night off with a song our local drummer, Abigail, wrote. This is ‘Levitation’.” Everyone clapped, but not louder than Pierre and Caroline.    


Well, if Abigail wrote it, I guess I should pay attention. I turned my body fully to face the band but remained seated by the edge of the dock. My hands kept my body up from their place on the damp wood behind me, and I closed my eyes as Sebastian began playing a steady chord on the synth. Abigail played a rhythm on the cymbals, and Sam plucked some higher notes on his guitar. 

_ You and me, with our long hair on the gold wall _

_ After midnight we could feel it all _

My eyes opened when I heard Abigail singing. I had previously assumed Sam sang all of their songs, but low and behold. I looked the three of them over, and my eyes landed on Sebastian’s smile. I felt myself smile when I realized that this song was about him. 

“They’re great up there aren’t they?” a voice asked from the dock parallel to me. I looked over to my right and Jodi was sat there with Vincent, who was laying belly down on the deck with his face peered over the side to stare at the ocean. She looked at him and then back to me. “I had to stay here to make sure he didn’t fall in. He said he wanted to be the first to see the jellies this year.”   
  


_ There’s a place I want to take you _

_ When the train comes I will hold you  _

I laughed. “Find anything yet, Vincent?” 

“Not yet!” he called back, unmoving from his position on the dock. Jodi smiled and rubbed his back and then faced me again. 

“But yeah-” I remembered her initial question, “They sound great. I’ve never heard them play before tonight.”   
Jodi gave me an eyebrow raise with a suggestive smile.

“Really? You seem to spend a lot of time with them. I’m surprised this is the first time you’re hearing their music.”

“I mean, yeah.” How do I tell her that her son hates me and wants nothing to do with me? “They must be pretty secretive with their music.”

“Well, Sam can be secretive. With the whole music thing anyways. His father…” she smiled sadly and looked to the ocean for a moment. She sighed before continuing, “He’s never been very supportive of Sam’s dreams as a musician. I tell him that as long as he still has a regular paying job, why not? A kid’s gotta dream.”

I looked back up at the trio, who had all gotten into the groove of the song. I looked up at Sam, who had a small, concentrated smile on his face as his head bobbed with the music. Regardless of the situation we’re in now, there was no denying that this was his thing. 

_ The branches of the trees, they will hang lower now _

_ You will grow too quick, then you will get over it _

“I agree. I think they could make it back in the city,” I replied. Jodi smiled and nodded her head. 

“That’s what they wanna do. But they just don’t have the means to get over there yet. Sebastian’s the one with the transportation, but they can’t all squeeze onto that little motorcycle. Can you imagine?” She began to laugh at her own quip, and it made me smile. “And of course they could take the bus back and forth but all of that money’s gotta come from somewhere, you know? It’s just not the right time for them yet.” 

“I think it’ll come for them one day. They’ve got the talent, and they’ve got this modern sound that’ll go far in Zuzu. They just need more time.” That seemed to reassure her, and it was also the end of the conversation as the song came to an end. The people of the town clapped, a few hollers from different parts of the beach. I clapped respectfully under Jodi’s lingering stare. 

  
“Abigail Chandler everybody,” Sam waved his arm back towards the drummer as she smiled widely at the crowd and waved. “This next song’s called ‘Myth’.” 

Sam led on guitar, while Sebastian played a soft melody on the keyboard. Abigail played a steady rhythm on the drums as the first verse came in. Sam was singing this time. 

_ Drifting in and out _

_ See the road you’re on _

_ You came rolling down the cheek _

_ You say just what you need _

His voice was slightly raspy when he sang, but there was so much power behind his voice. He was holding back though, there was no doubt about that. His voice slightly wavered as he tried to sing steadily.

As I listened to the lyrics, I realized that this song must’ve been about Haley. 

_ Found yourself in a new direction _

_ Arrows falling from the sun _

That’s where the power was. In that chorus, he let it all out. His voice wasn’t wavering like it was earlier, and he slammed the back of his heel on the ground with the beat of the song. He was so clearly passionate about what he did, it was a shame that his father wasn’t particularly approving of his goals. 

I had zoned out during the rest of the song, thinking about what Sam must’ve done while his father was still present to try to get his approval. How upset he probably was when his father had finally had enough. I was brought back into reality when the clapping started, and I clapped quickly to catch up to everyone else. 

“This last one was uh, it was actually written last night,” Sam said with hesitation, his eyes on me. I looked down and nervously sighed. I’ve read plenty of romance novels in my life, and this was always the part where the boy dedicated the song to the girl. Maybe this was about Penny, and he was merely looking at me as a form of apology. Pretty pathetic apology after the stunt he pulled yesterday.

“This one’s called ‘Space Song’. Goodnight, Pelican Town.”

I took a deep breath to steady my breathing as the synths began. I looked over to where Penny was standing next to Pam. She was looking up at him with a longing smile, but he kept his eyes focused on the mic in front of him. 

_ It was late at night, you held on tight _

_ From an empty seat, a flash of light _

_ It will take a while to make you smile _

_ Somewhere in these eyes, I’m on your side _

_ You wide-eyed girl _

_ You get it right _

“Mommy!!” Vincent whispered from my right. “I think I see something!”    
I turned my head to look over at him, and in the water beneath him—so deep down below you could barely make it out—was a single glowing jellyfish. I flipped over onto my stomach so I could see better. 

_ Fall back into place _

“Good eye, Vince,” I said. He quickly turned his head to face me. 

“I’ll let you know if I see anymore, krttt over,” he held up a make believe walkie talkie to his mouth.    
“Krrtt copy that, over krttt,” I confirmed into mine. He giggled and returned to his lookout post.    
What a sweet kid. Jodi smiled down at me and mouthed, “thank you”. I smiled and shook my head. “No problem,” I mouthed back. 

_ Who will dry your eyes when it falls apart? _

“Hey farmgirl.”

I rolled onto my back and propped myself up on my arms to greet whomever it was, but my expression fell when the blonde girl was looking down at me. 

“Hey.” 

The song ended and all we did was stare at each other. From behind Haley’s head I could see Sam jump off the stage and walk over to Penny.  _ Of course _ . 

“Listen, can we talk?”

“What is there to talk about Haley? You got what you wanted,” I spoke quietly so Jodi and Vincent wouldn't hear me. 

“Listen, I wanted to apologize.”

I looked at her long and hard for what felt like forever. The people of Pelican Town had begun to talk amongst themselves again, but the ocean’s waves were heard over anything else. 

“For what? There’s a long list,” I snapped. 

I almost regretted biting back at her,  _ almost _ , but it was nothing nearly as bad as what she’s done to me. She bit her bottom lip and looked around. She didn’t want to be vulnerable in front of me, nevermind the entire town. 

“Can we talk somewhere a little more private?”

We crossed the bridge over to the other side of the beach. There were a few people here, but not enough to interrupt our conversation. 

“Look,” she began, her leg twitching. She’s not good at this kind of stuff, which is no surprise to me. “I’m sorry that I broke you and Alex up. And I’m sorry that I lied to you about our relationship. I just… I don’t know.”

I let her think while I let the first part of her speech sit in. 

“Me and Alex have known each other since we were in high school, and…. I’ve never seen him so happy until he was with you,” she nodded sadly. “And..” she sniffled and looked up and away to breathe. “I’ve done so many horrible things, Skye. He deserves someone who’s going to be good to him.”

“Haley…”

“You were nothing but good to him. And I— I  _ cheated  _ on him, and-”   


“Haley.” I placed my hands on her shoulders. She stopped to look at me with watery eyes and a deep frown. “I think he needs time to  _ not  _ be in a relationship. Okay? He needs to see a therapist or something, and I think you know that better than I do.” She looked down and nodded her head. “It’s taken me some time to realize… but nobody’s good for him right now, not with the trust issues he has,” I stopped to laugh. “I don’t know how you’ve done it…”

“I don’t know either,” she giggled through tears. “Look, I’m sorry about how badly I treated you when you first got here. I felt like I had to protect something that was never mine to begin with.”

“Apology accepted,” I assured her. 

“Beef squashed?”

I laughed. 

“Beef squashed.”

But never forgotten. Not until she proves herself anyways. Actions speak louder than words. 

We walked back to the main beach area in silence. We parted ways with a friendly wave, and I went to head back to my spot on the dock. As I got closer, I saw the trio sitting in my spot. I slowed my pace and contemplated moving to a different area, but when Abigail spotted me I knew it was too late.

“Hey!! How’d you like the show?” she beamed with a grin from ear to ear. 

“It was great. I really like your music,” I smiled at them, but tried to avoid Sam’s gaze. 

Abigail and Sebastian gave each other a look and then got to their feet and walked over to me. 

“I think you two need to have a little conversation,” she whispered to me. I sighed and finally looked over at him. He was laying on his stomach just as I was a few minutes ago, talking to Vincent from different docks. 

“Listen, if he wants to be with Penny he can be with Penny. I don't wanna try and talk things through with him again, not after last night,” I mumbled. Abby gave me a long embrace. It was sudden, but not uncalled for. She positioned herself so her mouth was next to my ear. 

"I think _he_ needs to talk to you. For real this time," she whispered, a knowing, hopeful glint in her eye. 

"Really?" I breathed. 

She nodded her head, and with that she took Sebastian's hand in hers and they walked back to the sand. 

She wouldn't have said that unless she was preparing me for something. Something big. My nerves told me it wasn't going to be good, but somewhere in my gut, I knew things would be okay. 

And so, I mustered all of the confidence I could manage, took a deep breath, and walked down the dock to talk to him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're getting to the end of the story here folks :)


	23. the moonlight jellies | part two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow. first of all, thank you guys for 1000 hits. i'm literally over the moon and i thank each and everyone of you for joining me on this samson expedition. 
> 
> second, as you may have noticed, there is now a chapter count. one more left. i might change it depending on if i make any tweaks to the final chapter and decide to make it a two parter, but for now it's one more chapter.
> 
> third, i've already got a plot in mind for my next fic. problem is, i have no idea who it should be about. i want it to still be a stardew boy, but i don't know if i should give sam some more spotlight or move onto another boy. let me know if you have any ideas!!
> 
> enjoy the chapter :)

My breath caught in my throat as I made the slow journey to Sam’s spot on the docks. Was I about to make a fool of myself? Asking for forgiveness that I didn’t have to ask for in the first place? Abigail wouldn’t set me up like that, I decided. Not on purpose, anyways. I'm sure she's just as tired of consoling me as I am. I took a shaky breath as I silently sat down next to him. I peaked over at his face; he wasn’t looking at me but he softly smiled in acknowledgement. 

“They’re starting the migration process, ya know. That’s why everyone’s gotten so silent.”

I hadn’t even realized how quiet it had gotten on the beach until Sam said something about it. Everyone was holding their breath, scared that if they let it go too loudly the jellies would somehow stop the process and sink back into the depths of the ocean. 

I flopped onto my stomach to see the jellies up close, but also so I could be at Sam’s level. He seemed more open to discussion than I had originally thought. 

“That one looks a little different,” I whispered and pointed to a green jellie. It was shaped a bit oddly, but had all of the same mannerisms that the others had. Sam gasped and whispered to his brother. 

“Vince! Skye found the rare jellie!”

Vincent’s head snapped so quickly I’m surprised it wasn’t followed by a strained muscle. His eyes were wide and he had to cover his mouth with his hand so he didn’t squeal. Instead, he stood up and ran over to our dock, lying down on his stomach between us. So much for speaking with Sam privately. 

“Holy Yobes!!” Vincent whispered. As much as my heart was softened by the childlike glimmer in his eyes, it had me overthinking. Did Sam know that Vincent was going to run over here? Was this his plan to stop me from talking to him? He was speaking to Penny earlier, and for all I know it was a conversation about their strengthening relationship. He had probably made things official and I was making a fool of myself. I cleared my throat. 

“Enjoy the show you two,” I put on my best smile and began to stand. But Sam had other plans. 

Without even looking at me he reached his long, slender arm over Vincent to grab my arm and pulled me back down into my original position. It made me rethink everything, but mostly it made me think  _ damn, that was hot _ . 

We all wordlessly laid there, watching as the number of jellies grew more and began their drift out to sea. By the end of it, Vincent’s eyes began to droop, and on cue Jodi began walking over. 

“C’mon Vince, time to go.” She cooed, lifting him to his feet. Vincent stood with his head tilted, eyes barely open at this point. 

“Are you coming, Sammy?” he asked. Sam rolled over so he was on his back, propping himself up on his elbows so he could look at his brother. 

“I’ll be home in a bit, okay?” he told his brother, but emphasized the words “a bit” for his mother so she’d get the hint. They both nodded their heads and headed home. Most of the beach had cleared out, since the jellies were nearly out of sight and it was getting late. I could hear a few laughs coming from further down the beach which was most likely Abigail and Sebastian lighting a joint now that the children and nosy adults were gone. 

“So uh,” Sam scratched the back of his neck. It took everything in me to look over at him. He was blushing slightly, with a lopsided grin to match. “How’d you like our set?”

I laughed and rolled my eyes. 

“I thought I said it earlier? You guys were really good. I even talked to your mom about it.”

This broke Sam out of his cool exterior; his eyes widened and he nervously laughed. 

“Really? What’d she say?” He said almost too eagerly. He was practically begging for either of his parent’s approval. Who was I to keep that information from him?

“She said that she wanted you to eventually get to the city with them. And that as long as you’re working a stable job at the moment, it’s a good, realistic hobby.”

“Huh…” he humphed and sat cross legged facing the water. I matched his stance, which ended up being more intimate than I originally thought. Just the two of us, staring out at the water in the middle of the night. “What’d you think of our last song?” he asked, propping his head on his hand and looking at me. His eyes looked at me easily, and that gave me some form of confidence to talk while actually  _ looking _ at him. But then I remembered Penny. 

“It was good. Penny probably loved it.” I gave him a curt smile and returned my gaze to the water. He sighed from next to me, I could practically see him rolling his eyes. 

“You don’t understand…”

“Then why’d you talk to her right after the song was over?” 

He stammered and placed his hands on his lap with frustration.

“Sam I didn’t want to talk to you tonight, I really didn’t. But your friends are dead set on me fawning over you for some reason. And you know what?” I stood to my feet and talked down to him. His eyes were wide, and a frown had set deep into his face. “I’m so  _ sick _ , and  _ tired _ , of being treated like everyone’s second option here. I feel like every day I'm just getting played and I'm so _tired-_ ,” my voice cracked.  _ Fuck _ . I don’t want to cry. Not gonna cry. I swallowed the burning lump in my throat. “I wanted to give you a chance Sam. I figured out my problems and I wanted to finally have something that wasn’t going to end in shit. But clearly-”

My train of thought came to a grinding halt as Sam got to his feet. He stood at a whopping 6'2", which towered over my 5'4" frame. 

The first tear slid down my cheek quickly, and I had to bite down on my lip to stop more from coming out. What happened next stopped my crying. 

Sam cupped my face softly; he looked at me, a look that said, "please trust me". He brought his face to mine, and our lips met. It was just as gentle as it was that night at the Saloon. I didn’t pull away. I didn’t want to pull away, and I didn’t know why. But then he pulled away, and I felt like crying all over again. 

“Skye…” He whispered, looking from my eyes to my lips. “I wrote that song for  _ you.  _ Ya dummy, ” he laughed.

I was the one to kiss him next. His hands found their way to the back of my skull where my neck reached my hairline, and his fingers dug into my hair. I found my hands doing the same as his, and our chests melded together in a warmth that made the incoming fall breeze bearable. He broke the kiss to pepper more of them along my jawline, my cheeks, my forehead, and my nose. It tugged a smile onto my tearstained face, and he kissed my lips and teeth to make me laugh. 

“Okay okay!” I was grinning now. But then a thought occurred to me. “Um, what about Penny then?”

He looked down and slid his hands down to the top of my hips, where he pressed his thumbs firmly. The gesture was reassuring, and it braced me for what was coming next. 

“I ended things with her. Gave her some extra cash so she could finally get out of this shithole too.”

My jaw dropped. So he was serious about this. 

They were done. And he’d picked me. 

I kissed him again, and I felt his lips curl into a smile. 

We walked back to his house hand in hand. He propped open his window to sneak in without waking his family, and climbed in with ease. He looked back at me and leaned out the window. He stood several inches taller than me, but he tilted his head back with hooded eyes and a mischievous grin. He used his thumb and pointer finger to tilt my chin up so I could look at him.    
“What?” I giggled. 

“It’s pretty late, and I told my mom I’d be home so I  _ can’t _ walk you home. So it’s probably the  _ best idea _ if you just stayed here.” 

I leaned in as much as I could until I was centimeters away from his face. I looked down at his lips enticingly and then back up at his hungry eyes. 

“Nice try,” I whispered. He feigned hurt, as he clutched at his chest. 

“Ouch.”

“Maybe some other time…” I began walking away and then turned my face to look back at him. “Samson.”

His jaw dropped and he had to stifle a laugh, but then looked at me curiously. 

“Where’d you hear that fancy piece of  _ private _ information?” He crossed his arms to come off as serious, but the smile on his face gave it away. It didn't take long for me to have a lightbulb moment.

“I’ll tell you... when we go on our _date_ next Friday,” I hinted. He looked confused for a moment, but then caught on. 

“Oh! Yeah, at the… uh,” he tried manifesting answers with his hands, begging me to help him out.

“That pub right inside the city. By the bus station.” I figured he was familiar, being a city boy himself. My hunch was right as recognition flashed across his face. 

“Yes! Yeah, perfect,” he smiled. It was a smile I could easily get used to. His smile was reminiscent of one that had just gotten really good unexpected news, and it made my heart flutter to think that someone thought of me that way. I walked back to his windowsill to give him one final kiss for the night. He cupped my face immediately, and his needy, breathy exhale fanned across my face. 

Was it tempting to take him up on his offer and stay the night? Of course it was. But I knew what would happen if I did that. Images of Sam's naked, sweaty body flashed behind my eyelids, and I softly grabbed a handful of Sam's hair while he continued to kiss me. _I can't let it go too far_. I pulled away and slid his hands off my face to hold them in mine. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said, unmoving from my spot. 

“Yeah?” he smiled wider. “Promise?”

“Maybe,” I teased, letting go of his hands and walking backward onto the path that led back to my farm. 

“Maybe?” He asked, using his hands to lean on his windowsill. He let his head go out the window to watch me walk away. 

“Probably,” I called back. 

He blew me a kiss and shut his window. 

I walked back to the farm with butterflies and a smile I couldn’t wipe off my face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so there it is! sam and skye are finally figuring things out, only took them long enough. the next chapter's going to be going through a lot of different things, so it might take a while to get out there, but i promise it'll exist in time :). thank you all so much for reading up to this point.


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